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He could have seen JJ drop it. Unless LE has more information this really looks like he took his own life. Sadly our young adults are carrying stressors / anxieties that others don’t see. The only thing that puzzles me a little is the license plate, however every thing else to me from calling his mother because he wanted to hear her voice to his clothes found by the river points to suicide.This interview with his mom is from 9/20
New info to me... His wallet was found, prior to the unidentified body being found. It was found on some street by an individual (unknown to Mrs day) who claims to have seen another person drop the wallet
.. May have been wearing a red shirt or red shorts.. But they didn't tell the police until several day after the wallet was found. His lanyard with school ID was found close to the river where the body was found.
Jelani Day's Mother Speaks To Newsy About His Disappearance
Unless LE has more information this really looks like he took his own life. Sadly our young adults are carrying stressors / anxieties that others don’t see. The only thing that puzzles me a little is the license plate, however every thing else to me from calling his mother because he wanted to hear her voice to his clothes found by the river points to suicide.
His mom said he had two As and two Bs already but I can’t see how; it was the third class meeting
He could have seen JJ drop it. Unless LE has more information this really looks like he took his own life. Sadly our young adults are carrying stressors / anxieties that others don’t see. The only thing that puzzles me a little is the license plate, however every thing else to me from calling his mother because he wanted to hear her voice to his clothes found by the river points to suicide.
Sorry it was his ID that was found by the river.I believe his clothes were in the car 25 minutes away, not by the river. Unless I missed something.
I understand, I go back and forth. JJ was a nice size for a young man 6’2 he would of had to have gone by force. It appears his missing the morning meeting and going to the dispensary was of his own will, I guess that’s why I’m thinking suicide. I hope either way they figure it out for the family.The mother has stated in interviews that it was normal for Jelani to end the call with "I just wanted to hear your voice." IMO it's not an unusual way to wrap up a call. "Anyway, just wanted to hear your voice. Love you, bye!"
I am leaning more toward foul play than suicide.
I believe that grad program's first semester begins in the summer, so fall semester would have been his 2nd semester. The ISU president confirmed that in his letter addressing Jelani's death: "Jelani...was a well-liked and well-respected Illinois State University graduate student. He joined his graduate program this summer and his impact on the campus community was immediate – he is remembered as kind, intelligent, and caring."
I know many are angry that it took 18 days to identify the body, but IMO that is a pretty standard amount of time, especially considering the body was likely in the water for almost 2 weeks in very hot temperatures before it was discovered. ID'ing a body via dental records doesn't simply involve comparing X-rays. Sometimes it may, but depending on the individual, it isn't always that easy. Often it involves extracting DNA from the dental pulp. DNA testing usually takes several weeks, which falls in line with the 18 days it took for Jelani's ID. Add in the fact that they were dealing with a shortage of a chemical required for the testing, and 18 days doesn't seem so bad.
Obviously every minute of waiting was torture for the family, and I feel for them. I am devastated for Jelani and his family. Seeing "found deceased" when I went to check on the thread this evening was so terrible to read. I hope the cause of death can be determined and in the meantime police are able to solve this sad case.