Other Haitian Vodou Haitian Vodou contexts Jacmel, Haiti · 2024

Dana Jackson (US) dies at a manbo initiation retreat

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Authority role

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The death occurred shortly after a Vodou initiation conducted by the retreat organization. The cited record establishes the ritual setting and conflicting accounts, but does not establish a judicial finding about causation or abuse.

Ritual, oath, or initiation

Cited record

Sources

White, A. (2024) 'What's truth? Man says mom mysteriously died at Vodou retreat in Haiti', WSOC-TV (Channel 9, Charlotte). Available at: wsoctv.com (Accessed: 14 July 2026).: The risks of Vodou are not confined to Haitians or trafficking victims. In July 2024, Dana Jackson, 51, of Charlotte, North Carolina, traveled to Jacmel, Haiti to be initiated as a manbo (Vodou priestess), and died shortly after the initiation ritual; her family says they were given shifting and unverifiable accounts of how. Per her son, Timothy Jackson: 'My mom did not go to Haiti to not come back'... 'I was told that my mom got sick. Maybe a panic attack that was mentioned, of like a stroke and then a heart attack and some seizures'... 'Just trying to figure out what's the truth?' The Vodou organization that ran the retreat, Sosyete Nago, confirmed in a public statement that 'Her untimely passing in Jacmel, Haiti, on Monday, July 22, 2024, which came shortly after her initiation, was a profound shock to us all.'

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Source and tier basis: https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/whats-truth-man-says-mom-mysteriously-died-vodou-retreat-haiti/FWWXSJTBBFBEBN3SNGXKAFWCMI/ Legacy citation preserved without a normalized source tier or evidentiary-role code. SHA-256 17a3b0dde1b83235c8054c05facaf3ea5f2d4f9d38a1a3caf4dc186dfc3e2401
Retrieval: 2026-07-20 · Preserved; Bound by Fear automated source-preservation ledger

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