As the news of Tyre Sampson fatally falling from an Orlando amusement park ride gripped headlines last week, Shay Johnson wasted no time talking to the press about the final moments of the 14-year-old boy she described as her cousin.
In interviews with CNN and local Florida outlets, Johnson recounted a phone conversation with Sampson just before the March 24 tragedy. During a brief call, she said, Sampson was upset that he had been rejected from other sides at the ICON Park in Florida for being “too big”—and was excited the 430-foot FreeFall ride was finally granting him entry.
“He called me, he say, ‘They let me ride. I can ride. I can ride,’” she told CNN. “I didn’t know it would be my last time talking to him alive. He just wanted to ride and have a good time.”
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But Sampson’s family is now insisting the woman who claimed to be the teenager’s cousin is not related to them at all—and have reported the alleged false identification to the police. Meanwhile, an investigation by the Orlando Sentinel concluded that Shay Johnson may not even be the 32-year-old’s real name.
Robert Hilliard, an attorney representing the Sampson family, confirmed to The Daily Beast on Friday that the “family doesn’t know her” and that it was “distressing” to them that someone might “attempt and capitalize on their tragedy.” The woman identifying herself as Johnson did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The Orange County Sheriff’s department confirmed that Sampson’s mother contacted them after Johnson spoke during a prayer vigil and protest to get the ride demolished, and that she had insisted they were not related.
“Our detectives have looked into this and spoken with Tyre Sampson's mother,” a sheriff’s spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Friday. “His mother told them she does not know who Shay Johnson is. There is no report. At this point, they have no evidence of a crime.”
The lawyer added that Sampson’s parents were not giving interviews as they prepared for the St. Louis teen’s funeral and had not yet made up their mind about pressing for possible charges.
“Not sure being a pathetic publicity hound who spins tales is a crime,” Hilliard added.
The allegations represent just the latest in a series of heartbreaks for the teenager’s family after his fatal fall during a spring break trip. Originally from Missouri, authorities say Sampson was among 30 thrill-seekers who participated in the Free Fall ride when he fell in a disaster captured on video.
The ride, billed as “the tallest free-standing drop tower in the world,” had riders spiral around a pole as they climbed more than 400 feet before being turned to face the ground—and plummeting down at around 75 miles per hour, according to the ICON website.
Yarnell Sampson, the teenager’s father, told WOFL last week that his son knew he was in danger as he was climbing the ride and was “panicking when he was going up.”
“He was explaining to his friend next to him, ‘I don’t know, man. If I don’t make it down, please tell my Mom and Daddy I love them.’ For him to say something like that, he must have felt something,” the elder Sampson told the outlet.
The father’s description of his son’s fear appeared to line up with what a woman told a 911 operator just after the tragic fall. In a transcript obtained by the Daily Mail, a woman claimed Tyre had not been secured in his seat prior to the slip.
“They didn’t secure the seatbelt on him,” she said. He was also breathing just after the fall, she said, but because he had fallen on his stomach, no one could perform CPR. An accident report later concluded that the harness on Sampson’s seat was still locked after the ride came to a stop.
“FreeFall was coming to [sic] down the tower. When the magnets engaged, the patron came out of the seat,” an employee wrote in the report. Ritchie Armstrong, CEO of the Slingshot Group, said in a Tuesday statement that the company has suspended operations of both Orlando FreeFall and Orlando SlingShot at ICON Park while they cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
The shocking death was captured on various cell phone cameras of people who were on the ride and those on the ground—several of them posting it on social media. Chief John Mina said that Samson was immediately taken to a local hospital after the fall, where he died from his injuries.
In a Friday news conference, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried promised a "complete and thorough investigation" into Sampson’s death, before stressing that her agency would not jump to any conclusions until that investigation was completed.
The fall also immediately sparked outrage in the Orlando community, prompting hoards of people to protest to close the ride. Among them was Johnson, who was seen wearing a t-shirt with the teenager’s photo and his football jersey number while holding a sign that demanded “Justice for All.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the woman who posed as the family representative to local media is actually an Orlando resident named Lewishena Lavonia Browning. The Daily Beast could not immediately reach Browning nor confirm she is in fact Johnson.
Court documents first reviewed by the Sentinel, however, include a 2021 restraining order petition against Browning, whose alias was listed as “Shay Johnson.” The records also indicate that Browning had an extensive arrest history—and was currently awaiting trial after allegedly setting a car on fire last August.
William Sierer, the owner of Flash Dancers, confirmed to the Sentinel that the woman had worked for the Orlando adult club for five years as an entertainer—but was fired this week after he learned of the alleged deception. The club also posted about the firing on their Instagram on Thursday.
Sierer also noted that at work, the woman went by “Shay,” but her legal name was Browning.
”I feel terrible about it,” Sierer told the outlet, arguing that his former entertainer’s actions were “unconscionable.”
Sierer did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment and attempts to reach Flash Dancers were unsuccessful.
