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Charlotte nonprofit responds to claims about housing site sale following death investigation

By WSOCTV.com News Staff
Woman, child found dead in north Charlotte hotel, police say
By WSOCTV.com News Staff

CHARLOTTE — A woman and a child were found dead inside a hotel room on Friday. Now, a former owner of the building is responding to allegations about who they sold the hotel to.

Police have identified the victims as 36-year-old Shannon Solomon and a 1-year-old boy.

The building at the 5000 block of Equipment Drive was originally Heal Charlotte, a transitional housing site. Heal Charlotte’s lease ended on April 7 and then transitioned back into its previous ownership as Baymont Inn, Heal Charlotte said in a statement.

READ | ‘Heartbreaking’: Woman, child found dead in north Charlotte hotel, police say

Later, the building came under the management of Heal, Empower, Love, Protect, or HELP, an organization run by community activist Cedric Dean.

Dean was previously arrested following a dispute with a tenant, The Charlotte Observer reported.

Heal Charlotte issued a statement to clarify that it did not sell its property to Cedric Dean:

“I hope this message finds you well. I want to address a deeply concerning and completely false rumor—that I personally purchased the Baymont Inn and sold it to Cedric Dean or his entities. Let me be absolutely clear: this is not true. Heal Charlotte has no ownership stake in the Baymont Inn and no formal or informal relationship with Cedric Dean or Cedric Dean Holdings. We received no funds from Cedric Dean, Cedric Dean Holdings, or the Baymont Inn.

Here are the facts about our funding from the City of Charlotte:

  • $2 million was allocated specifically for a master lease of the Baymont Inn to provide transitional housing.
  • $250,000 was designated for program operations.
  • The first payment issued was $1,075,000, which included:
  • $1 million for the initial lease payment.
  • $75,000 for operations.
  • The second payment was $1 million for the second lease installment.
  • The final $150,000 was reimbursement-based, released only after documentation was submitted and approved by City staff."

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Woman, child found dead in north Charlotte hotel, police say

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