Who was Rosanne Boyland? Kennesaw woman, 34, was charged with possession of heroin before tragic Capitol death
In a shocking incident on January 6, 2021, members of far-right groups, including the violent Proud Boys, joined the crowds to cheer on President Donald Trump at Capitol Hill and it led to disaster and death. The news of a Trump supporter, Ashli Babbitt, took the nation by storm and thousands of social media users expressed their sorrow.
Soon after, the death toll increased to four and one of them turned out to be a 34-year-old Rosanne Boyland. A resident of Kennesaw, Georgia, she died due to a "medical emergency" during the protests, according to reports.
She was identified by Robert Contee, Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department Chief, during a press conference that was held on January 7. Her family provided cbs46 with a picture that was also circulated on Twitter (picture above in cover image). According to the news channel, her family is "working" to learn how Rosanne died.
Who was Rosanne Boyland?
Justin Cave, Rosanne's brother-in-law, spoke about the tragedy reiterating what many political leaders and American citizens have been saying about invoking the 25th Amendment. Justin said, "She (Rosanne) was a wonderful sister, daughter, and aunt. Anyone who knew her knows how compassionate she was, she always put others before herself. As we watched these awful events unfold we hoped that Rosanne was not among the crowd. Tragically she was there and it cost her life. We have little information at this time and we are waiting with the rest of the world to uncover the specifics."
He added, "Our family is grieving on every level for our country, for all the families that have lost loved ones or suffered injuries, for our own loss. Rosanne was really passionate about her beliefs like a lot of people. I’ve never tried to be a political person but it’s my own personal belief that the president’s words incited a riot that killed four of his biggest fans last night and I believe that we should invoke the 25th amendment at this time."
Heartbreak. Exclusive reaction from Rosanne Boyland's family after finding out the 34-year-old Kennesaw woman was likely crushed to death during the unrest at the US Capital yesterday. @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/dxLvLRn0bF
— Aungelique Proctor (@aungeliquefox5) January 7, 2021
Daily Mail reported that Roseanne's family told them on January 7 that she was "trampled in the Rotunda". The publication also reported that Rosanne had traveled to DC on Tuesday and was "emboldened" by Trump's speech.
According to a report from Conan Daily, Rosanne was born on April 26, 1986, and used to live in Brooklet, Georgia. It has become public news that she was a Republican and a Donald Trump supporter. On April 29, 2010, the late North Cobb High School alum had been arrested for obstruction by deputies from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office in Statesboro, Georgia, the Statesboro Herald reported. In 2011, she also pled guilty to heroin and cocaine charges, according to court records.
Family and friends of Rosanne Boyland said they tried to talk her out of going to Washington, DC -- but she was determined to hear President Trump speak. Her brother-in-law blames the president and his rhetoric for her death. pic.twitter.com/CO0NN4B3Lx
— Joe Ripley (@JoeRipley11) January 8, 2021
It was also reported that she was charged with the possession of heroin or distribution "at least four other times" in Fulton County and Cobb County in the state of Georgia. She has also been arrested on battery charges, obstruction of law enforcement, and trespass.
The Daily Beast reported that Rosanne would share posts from Project Veritas and Trump rallies on her Facebook account. She has also re-shared a post that read, "I understand Covid can be deadly or very dangerous for SOME people, but so are peanuts, strawberries, and so is shellfish." The article further mentioned that another shared by Rosanne on January 3 falsely said that restaurants and grocery stores among other places would be closed until mid-January to prevent Trump supporters from "converging" in the city. The post read: "For all the Patriots heading to D.C. bring EXTRA food, water, blankets, supplies, and have a plan of where to sleep. Patriots not going to DC please Echo this info."
Reports reveal that she was one of the people that stormed Capitol Hill in Washington, DC while Congress gathered to certify Electoral College votes to affirm Joe Biden's victory in the recent presidential election. She was admitted to the hospital after Capitol police performed CPR on her at approximately 5 pm on January 6 and she died close to 6 pm. Among the four people who lost their lives at the riot, Rosanne was the youngest.
Her family revealed to Daily Mail that this was the first event that Rosanne had attended that involved supporting Trump. Rosanne's other family members include Cheryl M Boyland, Ella Lee Boyland, Blaire Elizabeth Boyland, Lonna C Boyland, Heather Holland and Brett Allan Boyland.