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The 25-year-old was reported missing on August 25 after he failed to show up to class in Bloomington, Ill., For several days.
Authorities said a male body was found on September 4. Today, the LaSalle County Coroner positively identified the body as Day using DNA testing and comparisons. The cause of death is currently unknown, pending further investigation and toxicological testing.
His family is asking the public for help to find out what happened to him.
Day’s cousin Eriel Davis spoke to ABC7 Chicago on Friday morning.
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According to officials, his family last spoke to him on August 23 and was last seen on campus on August 24. Officials said his car was found in Peru, Illinois on August 26.
Based on the Peruvian police findings, when they found his car, a search was conducted in Peru, but Day was not located. On September 4, another search recovered male remains floating near the south bank of the Illinois River, about a quarter of a mile east of the Illinois Highway. 251 bridge.
The Danville native was in Chicago to visit his family just days before his disappearance. Day was an ISU master’s student in speech-language pathology and hoped to become a doctor.
Her family are heartbroken and demand answers as to what exactly happened and how the investigation was conducted, especially after seeing the resources put into Gabby Petito’s disappearance.
RELATED: Gabby Petito Made Headlines When She Disappeared; do people of color receive the same treatment?
Her mother spoke to the I-Team on Wednesday, desperate for answers.
“He’s educated. He’s a productive citizen. And I can’t convince anyone to look for my son, to provide us with the same resources, with the same help. And that’s all I’m asking,” said Carmen Bolden. Day.
Investigators said they were able to identify Day’s remains through forensic dental identification and DNA testing. Day’s cousin Eriel Davis said he came to visit family and friends in Chicago just two days before his disappearance.
She hasn’t said anything about her disappearance and her discovery makes sense.
“His father actually has cancer and Jelani is his father’s bone marrow partner, and he would never give up his father like that,” she said Wednesday in an interview with ABC7 Eyewitness News. “He would come here to Chicago and visit him at Northwestern Hospital, sit with him, you know, cheer him on, pray with him.”
The family is devastated, but says now is the time for answers. They want the public’s help in finding out what happened to Jelani Day and are asking anyone with information to contact the police.
Police said they were continuing their investigation into Day’s death.
Full statement from Jelani Day’s family
There are no words to clearly communicate our devastation. We learned this morning from the LaSalle County Coroner that the deceased man found in Peru, Illinois on Saturday September 4 is Jelani. Our hearts are broken.
We ask you to continue to pray for our family during the very difficult days ahead. Throughout these 30 days our very first concern has been to find Jelani, and now we have to find out #WhatHappenedToJelaniDay
Right now, there are more questions than answers regarding Jelani’s disappearance and death, and this is where we will be focusing our energy. At the moment, we don’t know what happened to Jelani and we won’t stop until we do.
This week we learned that new evidence has been uncovered and that the police are working on new leads related to Jelani’s disappearance. This case is not closed and the investigation is not over.
We ALWAYS need people with information to come forward. If you know anything about what happened to Jelani or had contact with Jelani in the days and weeks leading up to his disappearance, please contact Bloomington Police Detective Paul Jones at (309) 434- 2548 or email him at [email protected].
We have also engaged JAB Professional Services to assist the police. Information regarding Jelani’s disappearance can be emailed / sms to [email protected] 618-223-0044 (C) The family is offering a cash reward of over $ 25,000. https://gofund.me/8ee08e46
Thank you to everyone who thought, prayed for, spoke and searched for Jelani. The love you have shown our family has sustained us and we will certainly need you more in the days to come. We love each of you for making Jelani’s story personal.
We will continue to share updates on Jelani’s case as more information becomes available.
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