Family waits for answers
Tyshonna Jackson's body found in ditch last month
By Glenn Smith
The body of Tyshonna Jackson was found Oct. 25 in a ditch along William Kennedy Drive near West Ashley Middle School.
Previous Story
Coroner identifies woman, published 11/29/08
A month has passed since Tyshonna Jackson's lifeless body was found floating face-down in a watery ditch in West Ashley. But for her friends and family, the pain is fresh, tangible, like a living thing.
Compounding their grief is the nagging questions surrounding Jackson's death. No one seems to know what she was doing in that part of town, exactly when she died or how she met her fate. The questions hang in the air, unanswered.
"I know it was foul play," said Jennifer Ferguson, a close friend and the grandmother of Jackson's son, 7-year-old Isaiah. "She was such a mild-mannered person. She never mixed it up with anybody. It makes my heart so heavy to have something like this happen to her."
On Oct. 25, a passerby found the body of the 25-year-old single mother in a ditch along William Kennerty Drive near West Ashley Middle School. Authorities estimated Jackson had been dead three to seven days when she was found, but the absence of any obvious trauma to her body has made it difficult to determine how she died.
Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten said she still is awaiting toxicology findings and other test results in the hope of learning the cause and manner of Jackson's death.
Like Ferguson, Detective Derek Boyd of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office suspects Jackson was slain and her body dumped where it was discovered. She was found in her underwear, miles away from her home in the Chicora-Cherokee section of North Charleston. And she wasn't known to hang around West Ashley, he said.
Investigators have their eye on a "person of interest" in the case, but they need to see how the evidence pans out and whether Jackson's death is ruled a homicide, Boyd said. The State Law Enforcement Division is analyzing some of the evidence, but it could be a month or two before results are known, he said.
Jackson's transient lifestyle has made it difficult for investigators to track her movements in the days leading up to her death. She had no steady job, stayed with various people at different times and it wasn't uncommon for her to be away from her home for a few days here and there.
"It has been kind of hard to pin down the last time someone saw her or talked to her," Boyd said.
Jackson's home base for the past seven years was Ferguson's home, where she lived with her son. Ferguson was used to Jackson taking off for a few days at a time, but she knew something was wrong when Jackson didn't phone home to say where she was.
Now, Ferguson is left with grief and memories. Of last Thanksgiving, when she and Jackson stayed up half the night laughing and joking while she cooked. Of their morning walks taking Isaiah to school. Of their frequent visits to the corner store to treat themselves to Pepsi, white chocolate, and cheese and crackers.
"We always did everything together," Ferguson said. "It was absolutely the saddest day of my life when I learned she was gone."
Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postand courier.com.
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Comments
justjerry (anonymous) says...
"Jackson's home base for the past seven years was Ferguson's home, where she lived with her son. Ferguson was used to Jackson taking off for a few days at a time, but she knew something was wrong when Jackson didn't phone home to say where she was."
Great. Living with her grandmother with her child and taking off for days at a time? I think it is pretty easy to figure out what happened here.
November 30, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
give_it_a_rest (anonymous) says...
Well what happened justjerry?
November 30, 2008 at 11:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
simmonsk219 (anonymous) says...
Its no always good to assume you know what's going on or has gone on in someone else's life if people would mind their own and speak up when it is required of them the world would be a better place let the girl rest in peace her lifestyle or her time away does not automatically make her a bad person. Do some history before you assume things that just my opinion.
November 30, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justjerry (anonymous) says...
Let's see, single mom living part time with her own parent, does not have a steady job and disappears for days at a time. You are correct that this does not necessarily make her a bad person but it does raise several questions as to how she ended up the unfortunate way that she did. I honestly hope that she is able to rest in peace and that it was something other than poor lifestyle choices that caused her to lose her life and to leave a child without a parent. If there is more to the story I hope that it will come out and that maybe, just maybe, some other folks that are going in the wrong direction will be able to see the horrible pitfalls that it can lead to.
November 30, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
give_it_a_rest (anonymous) says...
She was actually living with her childs grandmother not her mom as the article states.
November 30, 2008 at 7:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lilmisstude84 (anonymous) says...
AMEN simmonsk219! Have some respect for the dead justjerry the perfect saint. Thats whats wrong with people here now, don't know how to mind their own business and not thinking so negative all the time. If you dont have anything good to say then say nothing at all.
RIP TYSHONNA FROM YOUR FAMILY THAT MISSES YOU DEARLY
November 30, 2008 at 8:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
southerngirl45 (anonymous) says...
If a newspaper runs a story then IT becomes public! If you want people to mind their own business then ask ~no demand your laundry isn't aired for everyone to read. What some posters are saying is A mother who diapears weeks at a time,noone knows where(and even if they did)CLEARLY does not have her priorities in order, OR she Loves something or someone More than her blood.Simple and plain.I really feel sorry for child and pray God will bless him. Just another little child..........!
November 30, 2008 at 9:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rjackson08 (anonymous) says...
Please be respectful when commenting on this story as this is my flesh and blood that you are speaking ill of. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but no one deserves to be disrespected whether here on this earth or passed on. I am sure that we all have people in our lives that we love who do not always make the best decisions but that does not mean that we love them any less. None of us are perfect but regardless, we are all human and have value and deserve to be treated as such. **Thank you**
November 30, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
simmonsk219 (anonymous) says...
yes it is public but if you dont know this girl you are assuming by going off of what the newspaper is saying. The papers and news will bash anybody who has had such things as she did going on in her life (so the paper says) why look at the negative all the time. The fact of the matter is that shes gone and somebody is out there that could do the same to your mother, sister, daughter the focus now needs to be on the person who commited this crime because this young lady is gone and im 27 years old that couldve been me or you. People dont have respect for the human life anymore and its sad, sad, sad. This is nothing to even debate over like i said that was my opinion
December 1, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eyfigueroa (anonymous) says...
rjackson: as much as I empathize with you and your family for having to deal with the loss of your loved one, this forum is for the posted opinions of the readers.
Your loved one, by the admission of a family member, lived a transient lifestyle. She would be gone for periods of time leaving others to care for her child. Instead of being home regularly handling the responsibility of parenthood, she chose to do other things.
Without knowing all of the facts, it is premature to absolutely attribute her death/murder to her lifestyle. However, she lived a life not conducive to longevity and more than likely would not have found herself in such straits if she was a steadily working mom supporting her child.
Your love for her notwithstanding, this young lady's lifestyle & behavior warranted such scrutiny.
My advice to you and others who cry foul about the rest of us simply posting our opinions about this article, is to not read the comments section of this or any other article referencing Ms. Jackson.
As with any other article, I along with my fellow posters, will continue to post our opinions based on the information at hand.
December 1, 2008 at 1:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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