Justice for Shawn Lee Fortune

Funding an Independent Investigation to Uncover the Truth

My name is Trishawnna Dandridge, and I am the mother of Shawn Lee Fortune.

On February 26, 2025, my son Shawn died while enrolled at the Pittsburgh Job Corps Center, a federally funded program that was supposed to protect him. He was 21 years old. What I have uncovered since his death has made it impossible for me to stay silent.

The official story does not match the evidence.

The Discrepancies They Can’t Explain

After months of fighting for records, I finally received internal Job Corps documents, timelines, and witness statements. What they reveal is deeply disturbing.

According to official reports, Shawn was discovered unresponsive in the early morning hours and later pronounced dead. However, multiple witness statements describe Shawn’s body as already stiff when he was found, meaning he had been deceased for hours, not minutes. This directly contradicts the official timeline and autopsy conclusions.

Even more troubling, none of the official reports mention the physical injuries I personally saw and documented. Shawn had visible signs of trauma, including injuries to his head, face, and neck. I have photographs. These injuries are nowhere reflected in the narrative used to explain his death.

There are also serious gaps in supervision, delayed emergency response, and conflicting accounts between staff and students. Together, these facts point to negligence at best and a cover-up at worst.

Silenced, Ignored, and Shut Out

Since Shawn’s death, I have reached out relentlessly for help.

Over 50 Pennsylvania attorneys

Dozens of state officials

Civil rights advocates and agencies

Most denied my case. Many never responded at all.

At the same time, my attempts to share Shawn’s story publicly have been met with instability across platforms. Posts removed. Accounts restricted. Content flagged. I was effectively pushed into the shadows while trying to tell the truth about my son.

Still, I did not stop.

Building Public Awareness, Brick by Brick

Through persistence and networking, I connected with creators on TikTok and YouTube who were willing to listen. I have now participated in interviews and long-form discussions that brought Shawn’s case to a much larger audience. The public response has been overwhelming.

People began asking me a question I wasn’t ready for at first:

“Why haven’t you started a GoFundMe?”

The answer was simple. I refused to ask for support without a plan.

Why I’m Asking for Help Now

I am now at the stage where an independent death investigator is critical.

This is not about rumors or speculation. A qualified wrongful death / civil rights private investigator can:

Reconstruct the true timeline of Shawn’s death

Compare official reports against witness statements and medical evidence

Document negligence and policy violations

Preserve evidence and identify what is missing or withheld

Produce a professional, written report that attorneys cannot ignore

I have already begun this process and have submitted 13 formal case inquiries to investigators across multiple states to ensure independence and avoid local conflicts of interest.

This investigation is the bridge between public awareness and legal accountability.

How Funds Will Be Used

All funds raised will go toward:

Retaining an independent death/private investigator

Medical and forensic record review

Evidence organization and documentation

FOIA enforcement and records recovery

Case preparation for civil rights and wrongful death litigation

Transparency matters to me. Every step will be documented and shared responsibly.

Why This Matters

Shawn was not just a name in a report. He was my son. He mattered. His life mattered.

If this can happen to him inside a federally funded program, it can happen to others. Accountability is not just about justice for Shawn. It’s about preventing this from ever happening again.

I am asking for your support not out of desperation, but out of determination. With public attention finally on this case, now is the moment to build the investigation that forces the truth into the light.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. Thank you for standing with me as I fight for my son.

Justice for Shawn Lee Fortune. ️