Latest / Illinois Valley - Shaw Local / Five years after Jelani Day’s death, case remains unsolved

Transcript

Five years after Jelani Day’s death, case remains unsolved · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Five years after Jelani Day's death, case remains unsolved. Written
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: by Maribeth Wilson. This article is being read by an
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: automated voice, brought to you by Everlit. It's been more
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: than five years since Jelani Day, a 25-year-old Illinois State
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: University graduate student, went missing on August 25, 2021. His
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: body was found 10 days later in the Illinois River
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: in La Salle, It took another 19 days for the
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: coroner's office to identify him. In the years since Day's death,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: investigators have struggled to answer key questions. The manner in
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: which he died, what brought him to the Illinois Valley,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: and how he spent his final hours. Day's family, friends,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: the community, and law enforcement are still searching for answers.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Carmen Bolden Day, Day's mother, said she wants the public
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: to understand that her son was loved deeply and is missed.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: People forget that Jelani was a person who was loved,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: she said, He's not just a storyline, he's not clickbait,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: he's not a hashtag, he was a real person whose
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: death left a void. I would rather not share my child,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: but I have to. Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond said
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: the case is classified as a death investigation with no
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: active leads. The LaSalle County Coroner's Office determined Day's cause
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: of death was drowning with no signs of struggle, but
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: his mother maintains her son did not die by suicide
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: and has suspected foul play. In October 2023, the task
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: force announced it would no longer be working on the
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: case proactively. We review the case each year, Raymond said.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: We've had one FBI tip come in that has yielded nothing.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: There are no active leads. However, any tips or new
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: evidence is and always will be followed up on and investigated.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Bolden Day said she believes law enforcement has not done
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: enough in her son's case. They didn't care about Jelani,
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: she said, so who else is there to do their
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: job but me? Following Day's death, his family advocated for justice,
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: requesting the FBI take over the investigation. They also maintained
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: there was a lack of communication, mishandling of evidence, and
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: insufficient attention from police. Raymond said neither the FBI nor
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: any other federal agency is willing to take the case,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: but it would be supported. We would always support any
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: involvement from any and all law enforcement agencies, she said.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Day was found dead September 4th in the Illinois River
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: near the Route 251 bridge in Peru. His family reported
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: they had last spoken with him on the evening of
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: August 23rd. He was last seen the next day on
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: the Illinois State University campus. Day's car, found in a
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: wooded area on August 26th, 2021, behind the Illinois Valley YMCA,
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: contained his journal, a marijuana cigarette, and a Tennessee license
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: plate in the trunk, according to records. On September 2nd,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: his wallet was found in LaSalle in a straight line
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: north of the car. His ISU lanyard was found September
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: 4th along US 6. The license plate on his car
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: was removed and has never been recovered. Law enforcement said
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: there was one license plate on the rear of his
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: car and the screws were missing. Raymond said authorities have
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: not found any credible explanation for the license plate's removal.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: The Bloomington Police Department unlocked Day's cell phone based on
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: video footage. Raymond said no pertinent information was discovered on
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the cell phone. The phone was discovered off Interstate 55
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: near Bloomington in November 2021 and sent to the FBI
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: at the task force's request. The FBI was unable to
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: unlock the phone and send it back. Bolden Day created
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: the Jelani Day Foundation to assist other minority families in
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: searching for their missing loved ones. She also played a
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: crucial role in getting a state law passed that requires
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: a coroner or medical examiner to ask the FBI for
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: help if they cannot identify a body within 72 hours.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: I don't have anybody advocating for me, so I want
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: to make sure that I can advocate for others, Bolden
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Day said. I don't want people to have to be
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: out there by themselves, having to advocate alone and not
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: knowing what they're doing. We're not police. We don't have
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: the power to legislate or make laws. But listen, if
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: that's what I have to start doing to navigate through this,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: then I guess that's what I have to do. There
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: is a $ 10, 000 reward for substantial information regarding day's final
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: hours that leads to the identification of new witnesses or
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: evidence in this case. Anyone with information is asked to
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: call 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Peru Police Department at 815-433-2161.