The Case of Jelani Day

The Case of Jelani Day Detailed Timeline:

The Case of Jelani Day timeline focuses on the disappearance and death of Jelani Day, the subsequent investigations, and related advocacy efforts.

Pre-2008:

• Prior to 2008: Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson, experts in law enforcement and public relations, recognize the need for an organization to bring awareness to missing persons of color who are often ignored by law enforcement, media, and the community.

2008:

• 2008: Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson found the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. (BAMFI), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Its mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color, provide resources to families and friends, and educate the minority community on personal safety.

October 2014:

• October 2014: Jelani Day's grandfather, whose name Jelani bears as one of his two middle names, passes away. Jelani later inherits and fixes up his grandfather's white 2010 Chrysler 300.

2016:

• 2016: Keeshae Jacobs goes missing from Richmond, VA. Her case is cited by BAMFI as an example of an ignored missing person of color, with police stating she "probably just ran away."

August 2021:

• August 19, 2021: James W. Loewen, author of "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism," dies. (His death is noted as ironically occurring six days before Jelani Day was reported missing).

• August 24, 2021 (7:20 AM CDT): Jelani Day, a 25-year-old Illinois State University graduate student, is last seen in security camera footage at ISU’s Bone Student Center in Normal, Illinois. He is wearing a blue button-up collared dress shirt, black pants, black belt, black dress shoes, and a blue face covering.

• August 24, 2021 (9:12 AM CDT): Jelani Day is spotted in security camera footage at Beyond/Hello, a Bloomington cannabis dispensary. He is wearing a blue Detroit Lions baseball hat, a black Jimi Hendrix band shirt, white/silver shorts, and black shoes with white soles. His white Chrysler 300 is in the parking lot. This is the last time Day is seen alive.

• August 24, 2021 (12:33 PM UTC / 7:33 AM CDT): Cellphone records show Jelani Day last searched "Greyhound bus tickets" on Safari. Police state his phone was turned off at Beyond Hello, preventing further location tracking.

• August 25, 2021: Jelani Day is reported missing by his program director after failing to show up for class.

• August 25, 2021: Police arrive at Jelani Day's family home in Danville to notify them of his disappearance.

• August 26, 2021 (4:20 PM): Peru Police officers find Jelani Day’s white 2010 Chrysler 300 concealed in a wooded area behind the YMCA in Peru, Illinois, about an hour north of Bloomington-Normal. The car is found with its license plates removed and no keys. It contains his journal, a marijuana "blunt," and a Tennessee license plate in the trunk. An extensive K-9 search, drone aerial searches, and ground searches are conducted in the area.

• August 27, 2021: Peru Police announce the discovery of Jelani Day's car, stating he has been missing for "several days in unexplained suspicious circumstances."

• August 29, 2021: Dacara Bolden organizes a GoFundMe fundraiser titled "JUSTICE FOR JELANI DAY!!!" on behalf of Carmen Bolden-Day.

September 2021:

• September 2, 2021: Bloomington Police Department attempts to obtain video surveillance from Jelani Day's apartment complex but is too late; the complex only keeps footage for five days.

• September 2, 2021: Jelani Day's wallet is found in La Salle, in a straight line north of where his car was found.

• September 4, 2021 (9:47 AM): An unidentified male body is found in the Illinois River in La Salle County, near the Illinois Route 251 bridge, about a mile from where Jelani's car was found.

• September 4, 2021: Jelani Day's ISU lanyard is found along U.S. 6.

• September 5, 2021: A "preliminary autopsy" on the body found Sept. 4 determines it is male but states it will take "several weeks to months" for positive identification due to its condition.

• September 6, 2021: State Police collect DNA from Jelani Day’s family.

• September 22, 2021: The LaSalle County coroner contacts Carmen Bolden Day, informing her that new dental records have been received and they are prepared to make a positive identification. Carmen Bolden Day states the coroner spoke harshly to her.

• September 23, 2021: Authorities announce that the body found on September 4 has been identified as Jelani Day, using forensic dental identification and DNA testing. Bloomington Police hold the only law enforcement press conference in the case.

• September 23, 2021: Peru Police post a surveillance video on Facebook of a Black man approaching a residence, linking it to an ongoing investigation but not specifying if it's Day's case, fueling speculation.

• September 26, 2021: Journalist John W. Fountain launches a six-part journalistic investigation into Jelani Day's death in the Chicago Sun-Times, highlighting the disparity in media coverage between missing white and Black individuals.

• September 27, 2021: The LaSalle County Sheriff’s office identifies itself as the media point of contact for the case, stating a "collaborative multijurisdictional unit" is investigating, including the sheriff's office, State Police, Peru Police, LaSalle Police, Bloomington Police, and the FBI’s Behavior Analysis Unit.

• September 29, 2021: The Town of Normal removes a painting of Jelani from a makeshift display site near the Uptown mural, stating they are working with ISU to "explore options for sharing it on campus."

• September 29, 2021: Peru Police state that the person in the Facebook surveillance video (from Sept. 23) is "not a suspect or any longer a person of interest."

• September 29, 2021: Jelani Day's body is released after 23 days. His grieving mother and family gather at the funeral home to pray. Carmen Bolden Day is advised not to view the body due to its condition. Only Jelani's grandmother and one brother view the remains.

October 2021:

• October 4, 2021: Local demonstrators march on Normal City Hall to protest the removal of the Jelani tribute.

• October 7, 2021: The Illinois State University community joins Jelani's family for a celebration of his life at Redbird Arena in Normal.

• October 9, 2021: Jelani Day's funeral and homegoing service are held at Danville High School. Carmen Bolden Day states, "The journey does not stop here... I can't rest because I don't know what happened to him." Rev. Jesse Jackson is in attendance.

• October 13, 2021: The LaSalle County Sheriff’s office issues a public statement, reporting that "investigators are reviewing hundreds of hours of security video" and had conducted another search of the Illinois River, which yielded nothing.

• October 15, 2021: The LaSalle County coroner releases a toxicology report of Jelani Day’s body, showing evidence of marijuana, caffeine, and nicotine use, but not in toxicologically significant amounts.

• October 19, 2021: Jelani Day is buried in Danville. Rev. Jesse Jackson, attending the burial, calls Jelani's death a "murder" and compares it to an "Emmett Till case all over again."

• October 22, 2021: The Pantagraph reports that the Peru police chief stated the FBI has been asked but declined to take over the lead in the investigation.

• October 25, 2021: The LaSalle County coroner states Jelani Day's cause of death was drowning, with no evidence of other trauma before his death. The manner of death is "currently undetermined."

• October 26, 2021: Jesse Jackson's Rainbow PUSH Coalition leads the "March for Jelani Day" in Peru, seeking "justice." U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush requests the Department of Justice investigate.

• October 27, 2021: The LaSalle County coroner releases a more detailed autopsy report from a forensic pathologist, stating there was "no evidence" of assault or altercation on the body.

November 2021:

• November 2021: Jelani Day's phone is found off of Interstate 55 near Bloomington and sent to the FBI at the task force's request, but the FBI sends it back.

• November 11, 2021: The LaSalle County Sheriff's department confirms Jelani Day's cellphone has been located and sent to the FBI for "further forensic analysis."

December 2021:

• December 3, 2021: Prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump announces he will assist the Day family in seeking answers.

August 2022:

• August 26, 2022 (approx.): The multi-agency task force investigating Jelani Day's death announces they will no longer be proactively working on the case. Carmen Bolden Day learns of this via an article, not directly from the task force.

• August 28, 2022: Family and friends gather at Illinois State University in Normal for a remembrance event, celebrating Jelani Day's "life and legacy" and launching the Jelani Day Foundation. Jonathan Jackson of Rainbow/PUSH renews the call for the Illinois Attorney General’s office to investigate.

• August 2022: Carmen Bolden Day is allowed by Peru police officials to view her son’s white 2010 Chrysler 300, which is covered by a tarp, with police tape broken. She observes personal belongings inside the car not bagged or tagged.

June 2023:

• June 2023: The Bloomington Police Department is able to unlock Jelani Day’s cellphone based on video footage Carmen Bolden Day shared with law enforcement of her son unlocking his phone.

August 2024:

• August 26, 2024: Three years after Jelani Day went missing, his family continues to seek answers, and the case remains a mystery. There are no active leads reported by the Peru Police Department. A reward of $10,000 for substantial information about Day’s final hours is still active.

Early 2020s:

• "This year" (effective 202?): A state law championed by Carmen Bolden Day takes effect, requiring a coroner or medical examiner to ask the FBI for help if they cannot identify a body within 72 hours.

Cast of Characters:

Principle Individuals in the Jelani Day Case:

• Jelani Day: The 25-year-old African-American graduate student at Illinois State University who went missing on August 24, 2021, and was later found deceased in the Illinois River. He was an avid swimmer, ran track at Alabama A&M, was pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology with aspirations of becoming a doctor, and was a proud member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. His death is classified as drowning, with the manner of death undetermined, but his family suspects foul play.

• Carmen Bolden Day: Jelani Day's mother. She has been a fierce advocate for justice in her son's case, expressing frustration with law enforcement's handling of the investigation, the lack of urgency, and racial disparities in media coverage. She founded the Jelani Day Foundation to help other minority families with missing loved ones and successfully pushed for a state law requiring FBI assistance for unidentified bodies.

• Dacara Bolden: Jelani Day's sibling, who organized the GoFundMe fundraiser "JUSTICE FOR JELANI DAY!!!" on behalf of Carmen Bolden-Day.

• Seve Day: Jelani Day's father, who was battling cancer, and for whom Jelani was planning to donate bone marrow.

• Paul DeArmond: Jelani Day's childhood friend from kindergarten, who spoke at Jelani's funeral about Jelani's desire to become a speech pathologist stemming from his compassion to help Paul with his speech impediment.

Law Enforcement and Government Officials:

• Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond: Police chief involved in the multi-agency investigation of Jelani Day's death. She stated that law enforcement agencies concur with the coroner's determination of drowning as the cause of death, with the manner of death undetermined, and that there are no active leads.

• Sheriff Adam Diss (LaSalle County): Confirmed the location of Jelani Day's cell phone in November 2021 and its submission to the FBI for forensic analysis. His office became the media point of contact for the case in late September 2021.

• Det. Paul Jones (Bloomington Police Department): Listed as a contact for information regarding Jelani Day's disappearance by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

• FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation): Was assigned a case agent to help in the investigation but declined to take over the lead of the case, despite requests from local police and Jelani Day's family. Their Behavior Analysis Unit was part of the multi-jurisdictional unit.

• LaSalle County Coroner's Office: Responsible for identifying Jelani Day's body and conducting autopsies. They determined the cause of death was drowning with no signs of struggle, and the manner of death as undetermined. Their communication with Carmen Bolden Day was a point of contention for the family.

• U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush: A Democratic Congressman from Chicago who requested that the Department of Justice investigate Jelani Day's death.

Advocates and Journalists:

• Derrica Wilson: Co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. (BAMFI), which she founded in 2008 with Natalie Wilson to bring awareness to missing persons of color.

• Natalie Wilson: Co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. (BAMFI), bringing expertise in public relations to the organization's mission.

• John W. Fountain: A Black journalist and freelance columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times who launched a six-part feature-length journalistic investigation into Jelani Day's death. He highlighted racial disparities in media coverage of missing persons and believed Jelani Day was murdered. He chronicled his travels and reporting in a series that garnered national attention.

• Linda Foster: President of the Bloomington-Normal NAACP Chapter. She has been working with Jelani Day's family and the community, advocating for better police-community relations and drawing attention to the racial disparities in missing persons cases.

• James Wright: Assistant Professor at Florida State University specializing in policing. He provides expert commentary on racial disparities in how Black victims are humanized and police-community relationships, particularly in the context of missing persons cases.

• Melissa Harris-Perry: Host of The Takeaway on WNYC Studios, who interviewed Linda Foster and James Wright about Jelani Day's case and the broader issues of racial disparity in media coverage and policing.

• Ben Crump: Prominent civil rights attorney who announced in December 2021 that he would assist the Day family in their search for answers.

• Rev. Jesse Jackson: Civil rights leader and former presidential candidate who attended Jelani Day's burial, calling his death a "murder" and likening it to an "Emmett Till case." His Rainbow PUSH Coalition led a "March for Jelani Day."

• Jonathan Jackson: Representative for Rainbow/PUSH, who spoke at the Jelani Day Foundation launch, renewing the call for the Illinois Attorney General’s office to investigate the case.

Others Mentioned:

• Gabby Petito (Gabrielle Petito): A young white woman whose disappearance and death received substantial national media coverage, often contrasted by advocates and journalists with the lack of attention given to Jelani Day's case and other missing persons of color.

• Daniel Robinson: A 24-year-old geologist whose missing person case is gaining attention, also cited in the context of racial disparities in coverage.

• "Scooby Doo girls" / Two girls walking their dog: Two individuals who reportedly found Jelani Day's clothes. Carmen Bolden Day sought their public testimony, as their account differed from the police's, but they refused to speak publicly, citing fear.

• Larry Brafman: An 80-year-old white man in Peru who directed John W. Fountain and his brother to where Jelani Day's body was found, and who mentioned other bodies had been found in the river over the years (suicide or other reasons).

• Richard Cinotto: 58-year-old owner of the Riverfront Bar & Grill in Peru, where a flyer about Jelani Day's disappearance was taped to the door.

NotebookLM can be inaccurate; please double check its responses.