GirlTrek Organizer Found Dead, Missing Husband Charged With Her Murder

Shawnton Clay, was known for her commitment to fitness, particularly among Black women. Her mother, Lori Sanchez, described the 30-year-old as a ray of sunshine. Sadly, someone sought to extinguish that light, her husband 42-year-old Ronald Dickens Jr.

According to The Tennessean, Clay was burned on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee inside the Avalon Apartment she shared with Dickens.

Her mother, Lori Sanchez said, “She always had a positive attitude and tried to help everybody. She saw good in everyone no matter the situation.”

Police found Clay dead with signs of trauma after she failed to report to work and family and friends did not hear from her. A medical examiner has yet to determine her cause of death.

Clay’s husband, Dickens is wanted for questioning in connection to her death but attempts to contact him failed. And Clay’s car keys were missing from the couple’s home. Yesterday, police issued a warrant, charging Dickens with criminal homicide.

He has yet to be found.

Dickens and Clay married in September 2018 in Las Vegas. Documents from Davidson County show that Clay filed for divorce in October 22, 2019. Other court papers revealed that Dickens attacked Clay in 2018 when she attempted to leave him.

On July 22, 2018, the couple was sitting in a car when the two began arguing. She broke up with him. The court papers state that Dickens “became furious and struck her several times with his right closes fist.” Afterward, he drug her out of the car and then tried to pick her up by her hair, pulling some of it out in the process. Clay was able to flee the area and there was an arrest affidavit filed in the case. Dickens was eventually arrested on October 4 on one count of domestic assault. Prosecutors eventually dismissed the case on November 21. A spokesman from the District Attorney’s office claimed that Clay would not return repeated phone calls.

Through a wave of tears, her mother said, “She was fearless, intelligent and just a beautiful soul that was taken away from me. I need justice for my baby.”

Clay, who worked in the health field, was also an organizer for GirlTrek, a health moment to help get African American women physically active in order to promote healthiness through walking. The nonprofit organization, comprised of volunteers throughout the country, is the largest public health movement of Black women in the United States.

Jewel Bush, the spokeswoman for the organization, said, “The GirlTrek sisterhood has lost a dedicated organizer and champion of black women’s health. Shawnton Clay was a bright light in our community. Shawnton personally believed in the power of walking. Her spirit, enthusiasm and commitment to helping Black women lead healthier lives all while enjoying the natural wonder of the outdoors represents all that is GirlTrek. There’s an entire sisterhood across the country grieving this tragedy, and Shawnton will not be forgotten.”

Funeral services for Clay are set to take place in Paris, Tennessee, where she was born. A Go Fund Me page has been set up in order to help Clay’s family cover funeral expenses.

Police believe Dickens used his wife’s 2017 black Toyota Camry with Tennessee license plate T4522V.

Anyone with information about Dickens are asked to call the Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600.