Jelani Day’s Cell Phone Recovered As Investigation Continues
Police investigators on Friday (Nov. 12) said they have recovered Jelani Day's missing phone.
Day, an Illinois State University graduate student in Bloomington, Ill., whose body was pulled from the Illinois River, went missing in August under suspicious circumstances, his family says. His cell phone data could help determine his “location, movement, calls placed or received from people, and the content of those calls, social media, or texts as examples,” according to WSPY News.
Day’s car, wallet, clothing, body and now his phone have been found in five separate locations. Day’s family says he’s never been to Peru, Illinois and doesn’t have friends there. His car was hidden on a trail in Peru, which is approximately 60 miles from the ISU campus.
Day’s October 25th autopsy revealed the 25-year-old died by drowning in the Illinois River. His body was found near the Route 251 bridge in Peru on Sept. 24. Despite the autopsy results done by LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch, Day’s family sticks with the notion that he was murdered. Ploch said the autopsy displayed no signs of altercations, injury, gunfire, drug intoxication, injury or assault.
Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition led a rally in Peru, Illinois for family and supporters, calling for outside agencies to further investigate. At the rally, Carmen Day said she was “insulted” by the Coroner’s conclusion.
“Jelani was an avid swimmer, and an avid swimmer doesn’t drown himself,” Day said. “Jelani didn’t have depression or mental issues. Those are indicative of someone that had suicidal thoughts. That’s not what my son had.”
WSPY concluded their report, stating, Rev. Jackson said Day was with two white women the night before and that these two women have hired lawyers. Day was last seen on video footage the morning of August 24, walking out of a Bloomington cannabis dispensary.
