Found Deceased IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021

[MrsWatson]

On the possibility of homicide, does anyone here find this possibility most likely - What are the known facts that point toward the possibility?

- His vehicle had a missing license plate, his wallet was found in a separate location from his vehicle / himself, he may have never before been to the area where he's been located... What else?

So much of that leads me away from self-harm, but I can't dismiss that he was starting a new chapter, he may have put a lot of pressure on himself to succeed, he was in a very selective program, and I believe he was a carer, a helper, he saw that as his purpose. Lots of pressure.

But I also think he could have fallen foul to some random crime. He had a nice car, if not the latest model, he dressed nicely, he could have been an easy victim to a violent crime.

I don't know what to think. I feel so badly for his family, he was much loved.

 

[LotusPawprint]

I don't know if JJ self-harmed or not, but two helpful numbers to have on hand:
US:
Home 1-800-273-8255
UK:
Contact a Samaritan
Ring 116 123


Side note: I live across the road from a Samaritans for our area. I like to bake and I sometimes take them goodies. There are angels among us.

Those are great resources, easily accessible. Can never put those numbers out enough.


I volunteered with the Samaritans years ago.. I can't speak for other organizations or if time has changed it but calling is 100% anonymous so anyone who is hesitant to call - don't be. We had no caller ID, couldn't trace calls. I know this was what helped a lot of our callers - both in making the first call and then speaking to us. It was truly confidential.

Also, Individuals don't have to be suicidal to call.

 

[Seattle1]

Jelani Day case: Family upset FBI looking at 25-year-old's death as possible suicide

Oct 1, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The FBI is now involved in the death of Illinois graduate student Jelani Day. It is what his family wanted since the day he went missing.

But they are not pleased with how investigators are approaching the case.

"Right now we have more questions than answers. And we need to start getting some answers for our questions before we know the next steps," said Day family attorney Hallie Bezner.

[..]

Now, his mother is angry that instead of tracking down suspects, the FBI is looking at Jelani's case as a potential suicide.

"He had a sound mind. He was not troubled by anything. We had just spoken on Monday. We have a family vacation that's planned for Thanksgiving. We were planning for that vacation," said mother Carmen Bolden-Day.

"Maybe we don't jump to a conclusion that this was a suicide before we know. I think that's what happened here," Bezner added.

[..]

Day's cause of death has not been released. A more thorough autopsy is pending, including the results of toxicology tests.

His family is offering a more than $25,000 reward for information leading to what happened to Jelani.

Right now, the family has obtained an attorney but are not filing suit yet.

 

[Betty P]

It's so hard to speculate based on the missed meeting because 1) It's never been confirmed that the meeting was scheduled for that same day (Tuesday), just implied in one article; and 2) Assuming the meeting WAS for Tuesday, the time of the meeting wasn't released, so we don't know if it was scheduled for before or after 9am, i.e., before or after he changed his clothes and went to the dispensary. I think most have assumed the meeting must have been in the early morning and that's why he was dressed up at the student union ~7:30am, but gosh, it's so frustrating that that info hasn't been released. I am trying to figure out what reason there would be to hide that info from the public? It seems like such basic essential info.

If the meeting was scheduled for ~8-9am and he was seen on video after that time moving freely at the dispensary, there's no reason why he couldn't have texted his professor and notified her that he wouldn't be in attendance, UNLESS he was experiencing some sort of mental health crisis. I don't see him just blowing off the meeting. Even if some mysterious person contacted him and compelled him to go to the dispensary at the last minute, a responsible student like Jelani would have contacted his professor. So why didn't he?

Another basic and potentially critical piece of info not released is his history with marijuana and the cannabis dispensary. Was it out of character for him to go there? Was he a regular marijuana user? When did he usually buy marijuana? Was this part of a regular routine or a new behavior? I know I've asked this before -- sorry to beat a dead horse -- but the dearth of basic info available in this case is so strange. I think that's part of the reason why it isn't getting as much attention in the media as other missing person cases. There's just not much info to go on.

I'm not a doctor, but from observing people with mental illness, they can often have strong reactions to recreational drugs. In a young man with schizophrenia, I observed them having wild hallucinations after smoking a joint. He hallucinated wolves running around in the yard and thought he had horns growing out of his head, like the devil. Very chilling and frightening to observe.

I was suspecting some kind of psych break in this young man, then after reading he had stopped at a dispensary, it raised a red flag. If he had recently been smoking weed (maybe to calm his nerves or help deal with stress) it might have triggered some serious problems. What began as mental illness he could manage or hide could have grown worse.

Schizophrenia and Marijuana: Trigger or Treatment?

The link between marijuana and psychosis goes beyond a short-lived high. If you already have schizophrenia and use the drug, your symptoms may get worse. You may have more psychotic episodes and spend more time in the hospital.

Researchers also have found that if you carry certain types of specific genes that affect brain chemistry, marijuana use can raise the chance you’ll have schizophrenia. One of those genes is called AKT1. Another is called COMT.

Cannabis may cause schizophrenia symptoms to start earlier in life, too. Typically, men show signs of the disorder in their late teens to early 20s, and women in their late 20s to early 30s. Using marijuana may make symptoms show up as much as 3 years earlier.

Jelani's tragic experience reminds me of a case we followed here at WS several years ago.

Missing Michigan doctor likely drowned, autopsy shows

Dr. Teleka Patrick left work one cold evening in Kalamazoo, MI, got in her car and left on a trip. Her car was found abandoned a few hours later along I 94 in northwestern MI. Other motorists had called the highway patrol reporting her driving erratically and at high speeds. She apparently drove off the road, got a flat tire and abandoned her car. Unfortunately, there was a large lake near the side of the highway and searchers feared she had fallen in. The lake was covered in ice and snow at the time. Her body was eventually found the following April, after the lake thawed.

She had been having problems at work, exhibiting signs of mental illness, etc.

 

[scriabina]

I was hoping the autopsy could at least determine if Jelani's ultimate cause of death was drowning, but from what I've read, "the diagnosis of drowning is one of the most difficult in forensic pathology." Moreover, "the best signs of drowning are froth around the mouth and nostrils and lung distension. Lung histology in drowning victims shows non-specific lesions such as 'emphysema aquosum' and alveolar edema." Unfortunately, the degraded state of Jelani's body -- including his liquefied organs -- would heavily hinder and/or prevent a forensic pathologist's ability to identify these signs.
Source:
Annals of Pathology. 2003 Oct;23(5):400-7.

 

[scriabina]

2) if you’ve never been to a dispensary in IL, I would say the experience is similar to a DMV but with facial recognition, more cameras, and just as many lines. You don’t browse the aisles while you shop. You get put in line, walk to a counter and tell the associate what you want. Your id should be out essentially at all times and most stores only accept cash.

Recently I looked up the dispensary where Jelani was last seen and their website states they actually accept both cash and debit cards. I had asked earlier in the thread why he used cash for the cannabis but a card for his Starbucks purchase just 2 hrs earlier.

Speculation: Could it be he used cash for cannabis because he didn't want to leave a "paper trail" for it? Maybe his family didn't know he used cannabis and he didn't want them to know, and that is why his mother and other relatives have not mentioned Jelani's cannabis use -- because they simply didn't know anything about it? So if Jelani was keeping a secret from his family about using marijuana, it's possible he kept other things from them too.

 

[rkendmar]

'Justice for Jelani Day' trends after Illinois teen's body found with missing organs

A report in Chicago Sun Times stated that Day's corpse had no eyeballs, only sockets. The body was reportedly missing its front top and bottom teeth. An autopsy performed by a private forensic pathologist suggested that his jawbone had been “sawed out".

Post #568, bombardier:

****warning - discussing graphic autopsy results*****
hmm...I can't come to any conclusions unless I see the wording on the report, rather than what's been paraphrased by the mother/her attorney.
Strangest aspect of the statement is the 'jaw bone sawed out', for sure, which is why I'd love to see the full autopsy report. I'm guessing this is the second pathologist describing what the first pathologist had done; removing the jaws from his skull in order to facilitate a dental identification, if possible. For the mother, I'm sure this sounds really barbaric and horrible, but I'm guessing that the first pathologist had a good reason to go this route. While I'm training to do autopsies currently but have not done any yet, I'm guessing when the body is obviously decomposed to the point that an open-casket funeral/showing the family the body is not possible, they can take some liberties with how they choose to remove tissues/bones because they don't have to make the body 'presentable' at the end. Also wondering if they wanted to clean soft tissue from the jaw bone if that was getting in the way of dental ID? In that case, makes sense that they removed it.
I am surprised that being in the water no longer than Aug 24 - Sept 4 so severely degraded his organs, but it's not unheard of, especially considering warm weather (averages in Peru IL were between 80F - 69F around that time) + his body was apparently infested by maggots. Maggots release digestive enzymes that accelerate tissue decomp and, as is stated, 'liquifies'. I don't find the lack of discernable organs suspicious, but it is unfortunate because it limits what can be determined, forensically.
And it might make you cringe to think about it, but I've seen it in case studies...fishes/turtles will target the penis and eyeballs (as well as fingers, toes, facial features etc) before other tissues. They are soft, accessible parts of the body with thin skin that can be punctured easier than i.e. thigh skin.
The bit about his missing teeth is also a bit weird (I'm sure we've all followed cases where the skeleton has all teeth intact and that allows a dental identification!) but since it was specifically the front teeth missing, I'm guessing he might have hit something while in the water that knocked his teeth out when they were already loosening due to the soft tissues parts of the periodontium (what holds teeth into the jaw bone) degrading away.
Found Deceased - IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021

 

[Betty P]

So much of that leads me away from self-harm, but I can't dismiss that he was starting a new chapter, he may have put a lot of pressure on himself to succeed, he was in a very selective program, and I believe he was a carer, a helper, he saw that as his purpose. Lots of pressure.

But I also think he could have fallen foul to some random crime. He had a nice car, if not the latest model, he dressed nicely, he could have been an easy victim to a violent crime.

I don't know what to think. I feel so badly for his family, he was much loved.

Is anything missing? They found his car and wallet. Was his money missing? Was he carrying a lot of cash? Any other valuables taken? Given his car was abandoned close to the location of his body, it seems unlikely stealing the car was the motive. Did LE process the car, find other fingerprints, etc?

 

[Betty P]

I was hoping the autopsy could at least determine if Jelani's ultimate cause of death was drowning, but from what I've read, "the diagnosis of drowning is one of the most difficult in forensic pathology." Moreover, "the best signs of drowning are froth around the mouth and nostrils and lung distension. Lung histology in drowning victims shows non-specific lesions such as 'emphysema aquosum' and alveolar edema." Unfortunately, the degraded state of Jelani's body -- including his liquefied organs -- would heavily hinder and/or prevent a forensic pathologist's ability to identify these signs.
Source:
Annals of Pathology. 2003 Oct;23(5):400-7.

I'd always read that they can tell if they find water in the lungs. When drowning, you reflexively breathe in, getting water into the lungs and reducing oxygen flow. If you're deceased when put into the water, that breathing reflex doesn't occur, so no water in the lungs.

Forcibly drowning someone is difficult, but would probably leave some signs of trauma on the victim and the killer.

For now, we don't know what details the autopsy revealed about cause of death. The official AR hasn't been released yet, correct?

 

[SimplyCass]

Is anything missing? They found his car and wallet. Was his money missing? Was he carrying a lot of cash? Any other valuables taken? Given his car was abandoned close to the location of his body, it seems unlikely stealing the car was the motive. Did LE process the car, find other fingerprints, etc?

the car keys and his phone haven't been found (or if they have, it hasn't been disclosed to the public).

I did wonder upthread if there was any more info about the car - whether someone else might have driven it or there was any other sign that JJ had/had not driven it last (like mirrors/seat being in a different position).

The phone is important. Even if he turned it off, there are still ways to know its location and it would give a better picture of his movements from 9:12 am onwards.

 

[carbuff]

I'd always read that they can tell if they find water in the lungs. When drowning, you reflexively breathe in, getting water into the lungs and reducing oxygen flow. If you're deceased when put into the water, that breathing reflex doesn't occur, so no water in the lungs.

Forcibly drowning someone is difficult, but would probably leave some signs of trauma on the victim and the killer.

For now, we don't know what details the autopsy revealed about cause of death. The official AR hasn't been released yet, correct?

I suppose it's possible he could have been thrown into the river by someone.

 

[BeckyF]

I understand his mum's anger and I appreciate that she's sharing information with the public but the premature information about the autopsy (without actual report being released) has generated a LOT of misinformation amongst people who don't understand decomposition.
Because mum/attorney has said that the organs were gone, people online have jumped to organ trafficking. A YTer I'm usually neutral on (Christina Randall) also posted a video that originally had a clickbait title (it's been changed now but it was smth like 'organs missing????').
I fear this is going to totally derail the public backing on JJ's case. If they DO conclude suicide and find some compelling evidence, the public is not going to believe it because they read a headline about his eyeballs being pulled out and sold on the black market.
Twitter demands justice for Jelani Day after autopsy finds organs were removed from his body
*I'm guessing when or if the full autopsy report is released, it'll be revealed that organs WERE present but were no longer identifiable (not gone), or when the first pathologist did the autopsy, which usually involves removing and weighing/taking samples of all relevant organs, they did not bother putting the very liquified organs back in the body and classified it as medical waste or something.

I agree with you totally and was thinking the same about these rumors derailing public backing. And then around and around we go. It’s nothing but a rumor fest at this point.

 

[mewmew]

Thanks for sharing and I am glad you got help.


I totally agree that people can appear fine or even excellent and can take their life, leaving loved ones in disbelief.

If you don't mind addressing some of the following as I think about how it relates to Jelani's case--

If heaven forbid you hurt yourself and an investigation had to be done.. would LE have been able to find out about the substance abuse? Through financials, phone calls or communication records, interviews with doctors, friends, or anyone who even unknowingly helped provide the substances? Would traces of depression have shown up in a thorough digital forensic exam? Changes in music streamed, Google searches, websites visited?

Thank you!!
I do think in my case that it would have been easy to see signs if someone (especially LE) had done some digging. Phone records would’ve showed multiple calls to substance abuse help lines, financials would show large amounts of money disappearing, and oh boy I don’t even want to know what my internet search history looked like.

Hopefully, if Jelani was suffering, they’ll be able to find some evidence of it. And if it was murder, I hope they find evidence of that…ANYTHING to help this poor mama cope

 

[bombardier]

I agree with you totally and was thinking the same about these rumors derailing public backing. And then around and around we go. It’s nothing but a rumor fest at this point.

yep :/ some may say 'all publicity is good publicity!' but (and i've seen this in other cases) my fear is that people get so hung up on the 'missing organ' aspect and trying to pin that as a LE cover-up(I did see that the mother made another statement but of course that's not "newsworthy" and isn't going to spread like her first statement did) that not enough attention will be placed on ACTUALLY problematic aspects like explaining why he went to Peru, why his wallet was a few blocks away, why he was seemingly nearby in the water for a week + after the car was found without being found (no water search related to the car?), if his investigation was impacted/stalled because he's a young black man, etc etc.
There's just so many good and justified conversations to have here, including what spurred on this social media revival in the first place (the talk of why cases like his don't get a fraction of the coverage as missing white women), that it would be immensely disappointing if it got derailed by stuff like this.

 

[Betty P]

I agree with you totally and was thinking the same about these rumors derailing public backing. And then around and around we go. It’s nothing but a rumor fest at this point.

As I read more, it's clear LE hasn't released many details at all since they're still investigating. Most of what I'm seeing in the news media are just rumors and second hand information.

The FBI is involved - that's good. LaSalle is a relatively small county and could probably use some extra help. FBI isn't going to reveal anything to the public and very little to the family until they have gotten further into the investigation.

The autopsy - LaSalle County has a coroner, not a medical examiner. They can do preliminary autopsies, usually just examining the body surface, clothing, take body temp, etc. Most counties with coroners contract with a larger county nearby to conduct full autopsies. This likely delayed things a while as COVID 19 has probably increased the workload of Medical Examiners. Conducting DNA and toxicology reports takes 4 to 6 weeks or more. The delays in this case are normal and there isn't any more information about COD that a coroner can offer until they get the report from the ME they contract with.

For now, I'm going to ignore all the talk about details of the abandoned car, clothing and other evidence because it isn't coming from LE.

I feel very badly for this young man who had a promising future. I feel badly for his family and friends.

 

[BeckyF]

Unfortunately, I think the damage is already done here and I believe many of us here from the beginning saw this when the attorney Bezner came on board seemingly to "control the reporting." IMO, it's also no mistake that no credible MSM reported from the Chicago Sun "commentary" about the autopsy -- days after the mother criticized the FBI's approach. I'm also not a fan of strictly filtering public information via the grieving parent. I belive many wanting to contribute to the facts -- especially the timeline leading up to JD's disappearance got the message early. MOO

ETA: You can't put the Genie back in the bottle. After authorities are appalled at information by the commentary -- and rumors spreading like wildfire, the following statement released:

In a statement on Monday, Jelani’s mother pushed back against the speculation that his organs were missing.

“Some things need and have to be clarified. No organs were missing. I do not want to stray off from the facts. There were contradicting facts from the first preliminary autopsy compared to the second independent autopsy, but this is not a case of organ harvesting, however, my son did not put himself in a river. My son was murdered and my goal and purpose are to find out what happened and hold those responsible accountable!!!” the statement read.

Questions surrounding the death of Jelani Day continue

Attorney did a bad job controlling the reporting. It is out of control to the point that the public will question any conclusion that is reached.

 

[Speculaytor]

So disturbing that his jaw, upper and lower front teeth were sawed out, according to the autopsy. Clearly it was foul play. He had gone out to a job site, was in a remote area. I noticed on Google maps that there are homes scattered, miles apart. Could this have been a planned attack, someone who knew where he was, a random attack, a hate crime?
Questions surrounding the death of Jelani Day continue

 

[Speculaytor]

So disturbing that his jaw, upper and lower front teeth were sawed out, according to the autopsy. Clearly it was foul play. He had gone out to a job site, was in a remote area. I noticed on Google maps that there are homes scattered, miles apart. Could this have been a planned attack, someone who knew where he was, a random attack, a hate crime?
Questions surrounding the death of Jelani Day continue

 

[LotusPawprint]

So disturbing that his jaw, upper and lower front teeth were sawed out, according to the autopsy. Clearly it was foul play. He had gone out to a job site, was in a remote area. I noticed on Google maps that there are homes scattered, miles apart. Could this have been a planned attack, someone who knew where he was, a random attack, a hate crime?
Questions surrounding the death of Jelani Day continue

He went to a job site?

 

[scriabina]

So disturbing that his jaw, upper and lower front teeth were sawed out, according to the autopsy. Clearly it was foul play. He had gone out to a job site, was in a remote area. I noticed on Google maps that there are homes scattered, miles apart. Could this have been a planned attack, someone who knew where he was, a random attack, a hate crime?
Questions surrounding the death of Jelani Day continue

Read comments above where this is discussed. Jaw with teeth likely sawed out by ME or coroner to help with body identification via dental records.

Also, I never read anything about Jelani going to Peru for a job site. He was a grad student in speech therapy in a town 60 miles away. Perhaps you are getting that confused with the person of interest (POI) that LE were trying to ID on surveillance camera a couple weeks ago. This POI turned out to be there for a job, and that was a dead end not linked to Jelani's case. It was not Jelani.