The mother of the minor sexually assaulted at the Goldsboro Family YMCA on June 26 is speaking out.

When reached by phone on Tuesday evening by Goldsborodailynews.com the mother gave her own detailed description of the events that occurred on June 26. Despite not being members, the mother and her son enjoyed occasionally visiting the YMCA and paying guests fees.

The mother of the victim accompanied her son to the Goldsboro YMCA on June 26. Upon arrival at the YMCA, the mother asked at the front counter for permission for her son to use the sauna. Once a staff member showed the mother and her son where the sauna room was, the mother headed off to a Zumba class.

The mother admitted that she was not familiar with all of the YMCA’s policies, and that in retrospect, because of her son’s age, he should not have been allowed to access the sauna.

It was in the sauna where the mother claims her son was sexually assaulted by a Hispanic man. The mother also stated that an African American man was in the steam room at the same time and witnessed the incident.

“I used the Y sometimes in the summer or when me and my son wanted to go the Y,” the mother said. “I’m a mother, I’m bringing my 14-year-old, and I’m asking at the counter can my soon use their sauna room. They bring my son and show him where the sauna room is. I didn’t know the age limit to go to the sauna room. They should know. They should stop me and stop my son. But no, they took my son to a sauna room. My son is taller but you can tell he’s a young teenager. I felt secure because it was the YMCA, and I went upstairs for Zumba.”

Once the victim found his mother and made her aware of the sexual assault, she claims she notified YMCA staff. She said it was her, and not YMCA staff who ultimately called the Goldsboro Police Department. The mother claims she encouraged YMCA staff to speak to the African American man who was in the sauna at the time of the assault, but YMCA staff didn’t deem it necessary.

The mother also stated the the doors to the YMCA were not locked down following the incident, potentially allowing her son’s assailant to exit the building.

That same evening, the mother took her son to UNC Health Wayne for medical attention and a rape kit.

“The man who did this left the building after he touched my son,” said the mother. “I called the police and waited for them outside. When the police arrived, a Black woman from the YMCA came out and took us inside to talk about the situation. They put me and my son in a side room there in the Y. The police said they would try to look on the surveillance video and for us to go to (UNC Health Wayne) to get a rape kit. The next morning, we didn’t hear from the police, and the YMCA didn’t call me either.”

According to the mother, she has not heard from anyone at the Goldsboro YMCA since the June 26 incident, and communication with the Goldsboro Police Department has been sporadic. The mother claims she has reached out the Goldsboro Police Department investigator assigned to her son’s case as recently as Tuesday, and left the investigator a voicemail.

The mother claimed the last time she actually spoke on the phone to the investigator assigned to her case was early August. She said she called the investigator on June 30, Aug. 7, Aug. 29. Sept. 27 and Dec. 12.

“I don’t see any sympathy from the YMCA,” the mother said. “I have reached out to the investigator assigned to the case, and I have left voicemails and I have heard nothing. As far as I know, the man who did this to my son is still walking around here in Wayne County. And there’s no arrested person from that situation. I talked to the investigator on June 30 to follow up on the incident and the rape kit. She told me they were still reviewing it, and to give her time. I told her we were about to go on vacation out of the country for a month, and I never heard from her.”

Goldsborodailynews.com contacted the City of Goldsboro on Tuesday to inquire about the investigation and if an arrest had been made.

“This incident, as with all incidents reported to our agency, was thoroughly investigated,” said City of Goldsboro Public Information Officer LaToya Henry. “The file was turned over to the District Attorney’s Office in August 2023 for consideration of an indictment. We are still awaiting a response from the District Attorney’s Office; thus, an arrest has not been made as of this writing.”

An email sent by Goldsboro Family YMCA CEO Mark Pritchett to members on the evening of Dec. 8 stated in part, “We recently learned that the investigation is now complete.”

In response to the statement from the City of Goldsboro as well as the Dec. 8 email from the YMCA, the mother of the victim stated, “It’s not complete, because they haven’t arrested the person. I don’t hear from anyone about the case. They didn’t even give me a result from the rape kit. This is not a complete case. This is still silence when it comes to justice for me and my son. I’m not happy and not satisfied. It’s like it’s not a crime what happened. I know what is right and what is what is wrong, and it’s not good at all.”

When reached for comment on Dec.10 by Goldsborodailynews.com Pritchett indicated that the Goldsboro Family YMCA has continued to follow the same protocols in place to keep children safe that it had prior to the incident in June.

“We have continued camera surveillance, safety protocols with young people, programs, direction, all those things are continuous,” Pritchett said. “Children are and always will be a top priority at the YMCA. There has not been a continual adjustment of anything, it’s the same protocols we’ve had in place and continue to have in place.”

Pritchett indicated to Goldsborodailynews.com on Tuesday evening that the YMCA is continuously evaluating its procedures and protocols, and he anticipated the YMCA’s current safety procedures would be reviewed at some point in the future.

In response to Pritchett’s comments the mother of the victim said, “My response is that the YMCA is not a safe place for youth, they can’t even sympathize when this happened. They let anybody come and go. They have a serious situation of assault, and it looks like it’s not a crime for them. Give me some security. That’s why I don’t go to the YMCA, even for Zumba classes anymore.”