Jelani Day: Everything You Should Know So Far

Sep 26

Sep 26 Jelani Day: Everything You Should Know So Far

25 year old Jelani Day was loved by a lot of people, but especially his mother Larae Sunshine Bolden also known as Carmen. His story made headlines after her tearful and impactful interview on Newsy speaking out about his disappearance. Jelani was a handsome young man, standing 6’2 with almond brown eyes and a warm smile. He was close to his family, including his brothers and sisters speaking to them daily. He was originally from Danville, Alabama and attended Alabama A&M where he ran track and pledged the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. As I researched news about Jelani it was the major updates: His disappearance, and the unusual circumstances of his body being found. I came across the Find Jelani page and scrolled through, pictures where I got to somewhat know him. Flashes of Jelani at graduations, and in his white coat. He planned to become a doctor and was in graduate school at Illinois State. Jelani’s siblings look just him. Friends and family flooded the pages with selfies, and updates. The words sang off of my screen “find Jelani Day” “Bring Him Home” – a few different tips here and there. The same video repeating of his mother asking for any help or answers in where her child had gone. The reward that had been placed at $25,000.00 for any information.

To understand this case is to acknowledge the outroar that erupted in Jelani’s disappearance. Jelani had been last heard from on August 23rd speaking with his family. The next day Tuesday the 24th was the last time he was seen. First at the ISU’s Bone Center where footage of him can be seen on campus, he then was located on camera entering the Beyond/Hello Cannibis dispensary in Bloomington Illinois. He was wearing a blue hat with a dark gray shirt and light gray pants. In the footage frame he is looking up at the camera, there doesn’t seem to be anything off. He is alone and appears to have a mask and a wallet in his hand, though it is diffiuclt to tell. From that point Jelani is not seen again. By Thursday August 25th Jelani’s parents report him missing. He hadn’t spoken to the family in a couple days nor had he shown up to class. Both uncommon of him.

Jelani did not have a history of depression, he wasn’t in any trouble that friends or family knew of. He got along with people, and had a lot of friends and family, this was reflected at the ISU Vigil held for him a few days ago. Over a hundred people attended crying and praying for answers. Still with no word, friends and family continued to post, a break in the case followed

On August 26th Jelani’s 2019 white Chrysler 300 was found in a wooded area in Peru Illinois, about 60 miles north of Bloomington. Peru is a small town maybe about 10,000 people total. Why would Jelani’s car be there? Jelani’s clothing were found inside the car. The next day the missing person flyer with the most recent and known photos of Jelani are posted, the Bloomington police is asking for any answers to this disappearance. Calling it suspicious circumstances.

There was seemingly no movement in the case after discovering the car. Police didn’t mention if there were any prints or damage done to the car other than it being found abandoned in a wooded area. By that following Friday August 30th Jelani’s family had created a gofundme to raise money and awareness as well as a 25K to anyone who had answers. Carmen also hired a private investigator to give more focus to Jelani’s case. By September 1st Jelani’s mother and search party scoured the area of the cannabis dispensary to find clues, but were unable to uncover anything.

By this time things seemed to have taken a halt, with no suspects, no clues, and no answers regarding where Jelani was all that was clear was that he was missing, and whatever he was wearing at the time was not what he would have been identified in now. On September 4th a body is discovered just off the south bank of the Illinois River east of the Illinois 251 bridge in LaSalle County. Officials say it could take weeks to identify the body.

And for two weeks there is silence from police. There isn’t much movement to the case. The outpour of support however continues. Slowly people from different walks of life begin to post about Jelani the #findjelaniday hashtag immortalizes itself. Carmen begins to do interviews spreading awareness about her son’s disappearance. Her message though about her son’s disappearance, focused on another point we fail to address, the media’s coverage of white people who goes missing is far more extensive than when it is people of color.

Gabby Petito is a 22 year old woman who’s dissapearence captivated the nation. She and her finance Brian Laundrie were on a cross country road trip in a van when her family did not hear from her after early September. A missing person’s report was filed on Gabby in mid- September. When Gabby’s fiancé returned home without her the family began to speculate foul play. Brian was not cooperative and unresponsive to family and authorities and immediately got an attorney. Gabby’s body was located on September 21st in Grand Tenton National Park. It took all of three days to identify her, Jelani’s seemingly took two weeks. Tik Tok first exploded with Gabby’s disappearance. Web slooths analyzing her social media and youtube channel ,as the couple were aspiring social media stars. Footage found along the way and released by the police allowing people to hang on tightly to every move.

The truth is people were so interested in this case, for a couple reasons: the first is that Gabby is an attractive young white woman. There is nothing necessarily wrong with that, its what I believe is the white woman phenomenon, that America loses its mind over. Every few years a new young white woman is the center of media attention. Maura Murray, Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox, Jodi Arias, Nancy Peterson. Some of these women are victims others are perpetrators, but they all had the nation captivated. The reasoning being the shock value. The damsel in distress in need of answers. There is some romanticized story line behind their case. Whether they seemingly dissapared after being deemed the girl next door, or are involved in something of provocative nature, there is some thrill twist that is intriguing. In Gabby’s case we felt like we got to know her. Her social media page left unknowing clues, her youtube painted a picture of a couple that people could take time to dissect. Honestly the coverage she got she deserved. Anyone who goes missing deserves that kind of care and interest. It isn’t hard to tell that Gabby was a sweet young girl with big dreams and that despite the tumultuous relationship she loved Brian. Her fight for justice should and will continue.

So why did Jelani’s case take a public outcry from his mother to explode? Media is different when the victim is a person of color. Especially black men. That is clear, people of color in general get less coverage. Don’t believe me? Did you know the number 3 cause of death for native American women is murder? Yet have you ever seen a Native American woman’s death make headline news?

Black people is no different, outcry only occurs when it is race related. Cop killings, gun laws being used to slaughter black people. So Jelani’s case, with little known about him online, and initial lack of shock value – the odds were stacked against him. However this clear negligence from the police with the discovery of Jelani’s body – changes the narrative.

On September 4th a body was located in the Illonois River. This didn’t make major news, if news at all. As I scrolled through Tik Tok Jelani’s dissapearence began to take notice, true crime profiles shedding light on his case. The search for him continued. The morning of September 23rd Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok lit up with the news that the body of the young man thar was found in the Illinois River is that of Jelani Day. The major concern, the body was actually found on September 4th, over two weeks prior was only identified that day as Jelani. Questions erupted “how is this possible?” “Something doesn’t seem right?!”

As I scrolled through Twitter and Instagram, I saw outraged tweets. Messages about how it is strange that they only identified Jelani days ago even though they had his body for so long.

I didn’t want this to originally manifest into being race based. I am aware of what water does to a body. It doesn’t just pale and drain the blood like we see in the movies, that’s romanticizing at best. Water implodes, it expands the body. Its terrifying to say the least. Most times you are unrecognizable. And with no clothes or identifying traits, the delay can almost be understandable. Almost.. but not completely. Not two weeks. I needed to understand exactly what happened and where the mistake and failure was made. I don’t want Jelani’s story to turn into another race related hashtag. I don’t want him to be swallowed up in another tale of black people being mistreated in America. That narrative, though true, doesn’t change the fact that on the24th of August something happened to Jelani, and someone knows something.

The LaSalle County Coroner confirmed Jelani's identity by using forensic dental identification and DNA testing and comparison, according to the Bloomington Police Department. Jelani’s family has not come out with a statement furious with police, but simply to express their sadness, and concern and frustration with the lack of attention Jelani’s case received before the media stepped in. According to a CNN interview:

An initial search took place on August 26. Officer Fermon said there were extensive K-9 searches conducted by Illinois State Police, drone aerial searches by local jurisdictions, and ground searches. Nothing was found then or in subsequent searches, he said. Authorities returned on September 4 and found the body that would later be identified as Jelani Day's floating in the Illinois River.

We got some information to give us that second search," Officer Fermon said, citing there is still a death investigation looking into the cause. "We were getting tips in, but that's really as far as I'll get. We were getting some tips in from around that location."

An autopsy was conducted the day after the body was found, he said, but the LaSalle County Coroner has yet to release the results.

Carmen Bolden Day said authorities told her this week that clothes belonging to her son were found on the banks of the Illinois River.

She said that when the coroner informed her that he had finally obtained her son's dental records, she inquired about the results of DNA testing.

"He said to me, 'Do you want to know if this is your son or not?'"

"They were so rude to me." – she recalled

Officer Fermon said the search for Day involved 10 agencies and included specialized teams near the Peru area where the vehicle was found, with FBI assistance.

Officer John Fermon says the body was discovered under suspicious circumstances, and though the death has yet to be a ruled a homicide Officer Fermon says “Our investigation is not complete, and I know the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office investigation is not complete," he said. "We can all agree that it was very suspicious, unlike him, It's just one of those of is it foul play or not. And that's kind of what the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office is their main focus, is, is it a homicide investigation, or is it a death investigation, and over time that's where we're going to get that answer”

Where are we now? In waiting mode. A video of a young man in front of a house in what looks to be a baseball cap is being circulated, police are looking to identify this figure. In regard to Jelani, A toxicology report is still being completed and on the 25th of September A memorial was planned in Uptown Circle in Normal.

I will continue to update the case as it comes, but for now we wait. Please keep Jelani’s family in your prayers, his mother Carmen deserves all the love and support she can get right now.

"My son wasn't involved in the streets," Jelani Day's mother said. "He wasn't a gang banger... That could have been the narrative, then it would have been, well, let's forget about him. But he was a productive citizen. I raised a good young man. And somebody did this to him."

Please, stay updated on your own. Don’t simply read a hashtag and someone’s tweet with no bounds and run away with it. It’s good to be angry, it is good to want answers, but it doesn’t help anyone to plug a false narrative.

Let’s bring Justice to Jelani together.