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

[scriabina]

That's something I keep pondering. JJ was seen on CCTV at the student center. He used his bank card to buy something, but didn't show for the meeting or call to let the advisor know he couldn't make it or to reschedule? Like, if he had overslept or was never there more generally, okay, that happens. But he was prepped/ready and present before taking off. Two hours later, he's seen on CCTV footage at the dispensary. Per LE, his cell phone hasn't pinged outside the dispensary area. What could/would have caused such an abrupt change of plans?

Not sure if this detail has been pointed out yet, but in this video the professor (more precisely, speech path programs director) with whom he had the scheduled meeting seems to indicate that the meeting was scheduled for the next morning.

The exact quote:

"He was actually supposed to come see me the next morning, and when he didn't show up I texted to see what was going on and he didn't answer me, so I knew they had class at 1pm, and so I waited for after class, he didn't show up, then he had a patient and he didn't show up for that and that's not at all something our grad students would do."

Side note: Seems very unusual if on his first day of grad school he'd already be seeing patients. Wondering if the article I cited in previous post which claimed it was his "first day" is incorrect. I also wonder how long he had been living in the area before classes had started -- long enough to make connections?? Perhaps bad connections?

Also, if he had no meeting that day, why the changes of clothing? Why wear dress clothes just to buy coffee at Starbucks, only to change into casual clothes and buy marijuana?

 

[MntnHiker]

IMO I don't put much weight into being at the dispensary and buying cannabis. I live in IL in a city not too far from Bloomington. I have a dispensary literally at the end of my street and drive by it every day when I go home from work. The place is always PACKED! I see people from all walks of life going in - business people in business attire, elderly folks, younger college-aged folks, etc. I just think it's pretty common for people to purchase it.

I do think the dispensary could be involved in whatever happened to him in so far as maybe someone spotted him there and then followed him for whatever reason. But I personally don't think he was purchasing cannabis for nefarious reasons (like to sell it illegally, etc). Of course, we have no way of knowing, but I know from my own experiences, it is super common to just buy it to use for yourself.

 

[Hope32]

...
Side note: Seems very unusual if on his first day of grad school he'd already be seeing patients. Wondering if the article I cited in previous post which claimed it was his "first day" is incorrect. I also wonder how long he had been living in the area before classes had started -- long enough to make connections?? Perhaps bad connections?

Also, if he had no meeting that day, why the changes of clothing? Why wear dress clothes just to buy coffee at Starbucks, only to change into casual clothes and buy marijuana?

It could be his first of the second year as well. I have not fully looked into a speech program, but the wording is also vague. It could also be that he was scheduled to see a patient as a shadow to a speech pathologist (common practice in most medical fields esp with physical therapy we did that in the first week shadowed a practicing PT)

 

[LotusPawprint]

Sometimes I think families of a missing person are hesitant to reveal certain things about their loved one - mostly because (I think) they feel like if their person has mental illness or drug problem or whatever else, they fear a judging public will discount the disappearance and stop looking.

It's just my impression that this is NOT the case here. His mom and.family as a whole have been relentless in asking for help, their desperation and pain (as well as determination) are so palpable that I think if there was ANYTHING else going on, they would be open because it might help lead to answers and Jelani. Unless he was struggling silently completely unknown to his fam (never impossible) , I am not seeing any kind of walk away.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Not sure if this detail has been pointed out yet, but in this video the professor (more precisely, speech path programs director) with whom he had the scheduled meeting seems to indicate that the meeting was scheduled for the next morning.

The exact quote:

"He was actually supposed to come see me the next morning, and when he didn't show up I texted to see what was going on and he didn't answer me, so I knew they had class at 1pm, and so I waited for after class, he didn't show up, then he had a patient and he didn't show up for that and that's not at all something our grad students would do."

Side note: Seems very unusual if on his first day of grad school he'd already be seeing patients. Wondering if the article I cited in previous post which claimed it was his "first day" is incorrect. I also wonder how long he had been living in the area before classes had started -- long enough to make connections?? Perhaps bad connections?

Also, if he had no meeting that day, why the changes of clothing? Why wear dress clothes just to buy coffee at Starbucks, only to change into casual clothes and buy marijuana?

Thank you for sharing the exact wording from the school's program director. To me, her words indicate what you have noted. He was seen on videos at the student center and the dispensary on August 24 but the meeting with her was on August 25. He was reported missing on August 25. Last talked to family on August 23.

Like you and others have wondered, why was he dressed up so nicely in the video at the student center, then why did he change into street clothes for the dispensary, and then why did he change out of those street clothes?

The program director said that classes for JJ's program had just started that week. I wondered why she was meeting with him. Just part of the program to meet right away with students? But I looked up ISU's schedule and classes started August 16. Interestingly, August 27 was the last day to drop a class and not receive a "W" grade.
Academic Calendar for Illinois State University

I found many news articles in which his family (mother) has given quotes. She talks about how she normally talks to JJ many times each day. In the timeframe that he went missing, she didn't talk to him as much as normal because she was getting ready for a trip and assumed that he was talking with his siblings instead because they look out for each other.

“Jelani doesn’t go days without talking to me… Jelani would call me two, three, four, five times, just to say nothing,” said Bolden Day.
Jelani Day’s mother is asking the community to help her bring her son home | CIProud.com

According to JJ's mom:
"He said 'Mama, I sent you the money to pay Aunt Ruby' and he told me he was going to class and that he will talk to me later," Bolden Day said.

"He called me, told me he put the money in my account and told me 'Mama, I just want to hear your voice," she added. "I just want to hear him call me and say that again."

Missing ISU grad student Jelani Day's loved ones continue search in Bloomington

Was it normal for him to send money to his mom/Aunt Ruby? Why did he say, "Mama, I just want to hear your voice"?

According to this article, JJ was a first semester graduate student. I am surprised that he would be seeing patients so quickly.

https://pantagraph.com/news/local/p...cle_f69c20af-beee-591d-a6e8-f11d5ae08fe7.html

I wonder what his schedule looked like on August 24. Did he have classes scheduled that day?

 

[LotusPawprint]

That's something I keep pondering. JJ was seen on CCTV at the student center. He used his bank card to buy something, but didn't show for the meeting or call to let the advisor know he couldn't make it or to reschedule? Like, if he had overslept or was never there more generally, okay, that happens. But he was prepped/ready and present before taking off. Two hours later, he's seen on CCTV footage at the dispensary. Per LE, his cell phone hasn't pinged outside the dispensary area. What could/would have caused such an abrupt change of plans?

It's been over a week since his mom supposedly was contacted by APPLE but I don't know if the company has provided her or LE with any helpful information (or if any helpful information exists).

Re: the cell phone.. If the battery died, he would've gone home to get a charger, if no car charger. Turned it off? Okay, but why, and how does that fit in to a bigger picture?
--->If some kind of foul play is involved, what are the possible motives? Robbery seems the most obvious. If that's the case, why Jelani? Is it because he was seen coming out of the dispensary? His car?
If it was robbery/car jacking, why did the phone stop pinging? Did the (potential) perp grab it from Jelani and toss it, breaking it or manually turn it off? If a robbery, what did they really get out of it? A small amount of weed? They ditched the car - without much effort, so it doesn't seem like the vehicle was particularly valuable to them.
It seems like the iPhone would be the most valuable and easiest to conceal... But then what? How are they going to use a cell that is likely locked both by password or biometric and locked to the network. Does switching a SIM card do anything?
Also, where would the hypothetical car jacking have happened? Not in the parking lot at the dispensary. Was he in his car, and if so, couldn't he have floored it to get away?


With all of the specifics here, I cannot make the pieces fit. It seems like family is too. Hopefully LE has the pieces needed to figure it out.

 

[oviedo]

still no ID?
Jelani Day : Body Found in Area Missing ISU Student Last Seen At, Police Plead For Speculation to End

 

[Razz]

Thank you for sharing the exact wording from the school's program director. To me, her words indicate what you have noted. He was seen on videos at the student center and the dispensary on August 24 but the meeting with her was on August 25. He was reported missing on August 25. Last talked to family on August 23.

Like you and others have wondered, why was he dressed up so nicely in the video at the student center, then why did he change into street clothes for the dispensary, and then why did he change out of those street clothes?

The program director said that classes for JJ's program had just started that week. I wondered why she was meeting with him. Just part of the program to meet right away with students? But I looked up ISU's schedule and classes started August 16. Interestingly, August 27 was the last day to drop a class and not receive a "W" grade.
Academic Calendar for Illinois State University

I found many news articles in which his family (mother) has given quotes. She talks about how she normally talks to JJ many times each day. In the timeframe that he went missing, she didn't talk to him as much as normal because she was getting ready for a trip and assumed that he was talking with his siblings instead because they look out for each other.

“Jelani doesn’t go days without talking to me… Jelani would call me two, three, four, five times, just to say nothing,” said Bolden Day.
Jelani Day’s mother is asking the community to help her bring her son home | CIProud.com

According to JJ's mom:
"He said 'Mama, I sent you the money to pay Aunt Ruby' and he told me he was going to class and that he will talk to me later," Bolden Day said.

"He called me, told me he put the money in my account and told me 'Mama, I just want to hear your voice," she added. "I just want to hear him call me and say that again."

Missing ISU grad student Jelani Day's loved ones continue search in Bloomington

Was it normal for him to send money to his mom/Aunt Ruby? Why did he say, "Mama, I just want to hear your voice"?

According to this article, JJ was a first semester graduate student. I am surprised that he would be seeing patients so quickly.

Family sets up to find ISU student Jelani Day

I wonder what his schedule looked like on August 24. Did he have classes scheduled that day?

Great review of events!

Maybe he mixed up the day for his meeting with the prof. And/or at the time maybe he thought she didn't show.

I totally understand the need to change clothes if you're going to do weed. The odor permeates everything. (I always laugh when people think they can mask the odor with car freshener or mints).

I wonder if the body from the river had clothes on(as the clothes he was wearing in the dispensary were in his car, correct?) So why did he change again? Could be he had a date, went to a movie, to the library or went somewhere to eat.

 

[scriabina]

I looked at the ISU's speech path page and went through the curriculum. I am pretty confident that he is taking these 3 courses, based on the following:

1) what classes are available this Fall
2) the fact that a 2nd article definitively states he was in his *FIRST* semester, so he'd be in the lowest level intro classes which are pre-reqs for later classes
3) the fact that grad students in that program must take clinicals every semester

Of note, per ISU speech path graduate website, all classes started 8/16.

CSD 402: Tues Thurs 1pm - 2:40pm (4 credit hours) lowest level class, pre-req for later courses; likely enrolled 1st semester

CSD 406: Mon Wed 1pm - 2:15pm (3 credit hrs)

Clinical: CSD 408a30 Basic Practicum: Wed 12pm - 12:50pm (1 credit hr) — “supervised clinical practicum under an ISU Supervisor.” CB is listed as the supervisor and she is the one who reported Jelani missing and who said she had a meeting with him.
Total: 4+3+1 = 8 credit hours, the minimum credit hr requirement to be considered a full-time grad student per curriculum guidelines.

The day he was last seen (Aug 24) was a Tuesday. He would've had class at 1pm.
Pairing this with CB's quote: "He was actually supposed to come see me the next morning [CSD 408a30 practicum? not morning, but starts at 12pm w/ CB], and when he didn't show up I texted to see what was going on and he didn't answer me, so I knew they had class at 1pm [CSD 406], and so I waited for after class, he didn't show up, then he had a patient [?] and he didn't show up for that and that's not at all something our grad students would do."

I found this article which states "Jelani J.J. Day was reported missing Wednesday by his family and an Illinois State University faculty member. Day is an ISU graduate student and police said he had not been to class for several days."

So sounds like Jelani missed his 1pm class on Tuesday 8/24, the day he was seen at the student union and the dispensary. He probably was planning to change back into his dress clothes for CSD402 but never got the chance. So something probably happened to him between the time he left the dispensary (~9:15am) and 1pm which prevented him from going to class.

 

[scriabina]

Timeline:

Monday Aug 23:

• Spoke on phone with mother. Texted CB regarding coursework that evening.

Tuesday Aug 24:

• 7:20am shown on security video from ISU's Bone Student Center wearing "a blue button-up collared dress shirt, black pants, a black belt, black dress shoes, and a blue face covering." Unknown what purpose he had there. Only possible morning class available to him started at 9am, but he was in Bloomington at that time. Potentially had a meeting with a professor, but no reports of such.
• 9:12am shown on security video in a cannabis dispensary at 1515 North Veterans Parkway in Bloomington wearing "silver or white shorts, a black Jimi Hendrix Band T-shirt with a unique logo, black shoes with white soles, and a Detroit Lions baseball hat." Dispensary is 2.8 miles from ISU Bone Student Center.
• 1pm: Missed class.

Wednesday Aug 25:

• Morning/12pm: Missed meeting and/or practicum with supervisor/professor CB.
• 1pm: Missed class again.
• CB contacted police who contacted Jelani's family. Family reports him missing.

Thursday Aug 26:

• Jelani's car (white Chrysler 300) with no license plate was located in a wooded area of Peru, Illinois -- south of the Illinois Valley YMCA and north of the intersection of 12th Street and Westclox Avenue -- about 63 miles north from the dispensary where he was last seen.
  
• Clothes he had worn to cannabis dispensary were located in the trunk of his abandoned vehicle.

Saturday Sept 4

• Body found on the south bank of the Illinois River near the Route 251 Bridge
• "An autopsy was performed on Sunday and showed that the body is male."
• "The coroner's office says identification could take several weeks due to the condition of the body."
  
• At this point, there has been no confirmation that the body is related to Jelani's case.
• Coincidentally, the body was found ~1 mile away from where Jelani's car was abandoned.

 

[MntnHiker]

I feel like he had SOMEWHERE to go that morning if he was dressed up. I could see him being in the student center early if he was maybe going to get coffee or breakfast there. But why be dressed up just for a coffee run? Especially because ~2 hours later, he's wearing very casual clothes. Why not just start out that way? The only reason I can think of for dressing up and two hours later changing is that he DID have somewhere to be that morning for which he wanted to dress nicely.

I'm assuming if he had a meeting with any other professor scheduled, that person would have come forward by now. We have pretty much ruled out him having a class that early (and this is something the school would know for sure and would tell LE). I'm curious from people who know him well if he routinely dressed nicely just for things like errands, going to the library, etc. or if he would only wear dress clothes for certain occasions.

 

[Speculaytor]

I wonder if Jelani was buying weed for personal use or if he wanted to sell it to make a quick buck? If the latter, maybe something happened during the sale?

It is interesting to me that he looks directly into the camera as he walks into the dispensary. The car he drives, it looks expensive, hope this wasn't a carjacking type of deal. The parking lot of the dispensary looks empty, was the area high crime?

 

[scriabina]

It is interesting to me that he looks directly into the camera as he walks into the dispensary.

Go back to page 7 and read post #122. It gives extensive information regarding why Jelani looks directly into the camera. "It is common that everyone is to look at the camera when entering a dispensary just as standard procedure."

 

[scriabina]

The car he drives, it looks expensive, hope this wasn't a carjacking type of deal. The parking lot of the dispensary looks empty, was the area high crime?

Yes, I know very little about cars, but maybe @carbuff could chime in on this. Would this car be good to sell for parts?

If it was a carjacking, though, they certainly did not make any use of the vehicle itself. Only the license plate was taken. Did something foil their plans?

Also, if it was a carjacking/abduction, it's hard for me to figure out how it could happen logistically. Can anyone think of a scenario that could realistically fit the facts of the case?

If he was carjacked in Bloomington/Normal, I believe it would've been before his class at 1pm. That's at least 7+ hrs of daylight remaining. Where/when would they have killed him? How could they have killed him without anyone noticing? Jelani is pretty tall and he looks fit & strong. He would've put up a fight. If they had killed him inside his car, there would've been some evidence of a struggle, but LE hasn't reported any (of course that doesn't mean there wasn't any evidence of that nature). Perhaps he was carjacked, held at gunpoint in the car, a struggle ensued and Jelani was knocked unconscious. Maybe he was then suffocated (although when you think of a typical carjacker you think of a gun or knife as the weapon). The killer(s) probably waited until darkness to dispose of the body, most likely keeping Jelani's body in the trunk. Probably they would want to dump the body in an area they were familiar with. This is why I think the killers must have connections to Peru where Jelani's car was found. But on the other hand, driving with someone at gunpoint or unconscious for 60 miles seems risky. And if you're going to all that trouble, why abandon the car just 2 days later? So I am really stumped.

ETA: I'm thinking he was abducted for the pot and the car, but the killers hadn't thought it through very well and couldn't figure out how to sell the car without getting caught, so they abandoned it.

Thoughts?

 

[carbuff]

Okay, I've skimmed the thread--poor family. I hope they find him soon.

The Chrysler 300 is flashy but not terribly expensive. A good reliable car for everyday use, except that it generally gets crappy gas mileage. Assuming it's in good condition--it appears to be--it would probably go for like $10K if he were to sell it, depending on what exact model it is and what accessories it has. It's not a rare car, but it's not terribly common either. Probably not a lot of market for parts.

It's very very noticeable. It's a car that would turn heads driving down the street. If somebody saw the car driving in Peru, they would notice and remember. I would hazard a guess that if any women saw that car being driven by that good-looking man, they would have turned for a second look.

What was the name of that guy who got murdered by his best friend over a girl a few years ago? Christian Aguilar, maybe? That's the vibe I'm getting here.

 

[Speculaytor]

Yes, I know very little about cars, but maybe @carbuff could chime in on this. Would this car be good to sell for parts?

If it was a carjacking, though, they certainly did not make any use of the vehicle itself. Only the license plate was taken. Did something foil their plans?

Also, if it was a carjacking/abduction, it's hard for me to figure out how it could happen logistically. Can anyone think of a scenario that could realistically fit the facts of the case?

If he was carjacked in Bloomington/Normal, I believe it would've been before his class at 1pm. That's at least 7+ hrs of daylight remaining. Where/when would they have killed him? How could they have killed him without anyone noticing? Jelani is pretty tall and he looks fit & strong. He would've put up a fight. If they had killed him inside his car, there would've been some evidence of a struggle, but LE hasn't reported any (of course that doesn't mean there wasn't any evidence of that nature). Perhaps he was carjacked, held at gunpoint in the car, a struggle ensued and Jelani was knocked unconscious. Maybe he was then suffocated (although when you think of a typical carjacker you think of a gun or knife as the weapon). The killer(s) probably waited until darkness to dispose of the body, most likely keeping Jelani's body in the trunk. Probably they would want to dump the body in an area they were familiar with. This is why I think the killers must have connections to Peru where Jelani's car was found. But on the other hand, driving with someone at gunpoint or unconscious for 60 miles seems risky. And if you're going to all that trouble, why abandon the car just 2 days later? So I am really stumped.

ETA: I'm thinking he was abducted for the pot and the car, but the killers hadn't thought it through very well and couldn't figure out how to sell the car without getting caught, so they abandoned it.

Thoughts?

Yes, your points are good. I know a body has been found on the river bank, about a mile from where they found his car, waiting on ID. I am assuming the person found had been in the river. I was praying this would NOT be him, I immediately thought suicide? He had a meeting with a professor about his grades, he was in grad school, expensive car, so there might have been pressure on him, maybe depressed as so many are.

 

[Speculaytor]

Okay, I've skimmed the thread--poor family. I hope they find him soon.

The Chrysler 300 is flashy but not terribly expensive. A good reliable car for everyday use, except that it generally gets crappy gas mileage. Assuming it's in good condition--it appears to be--it would probably go for like $10K if he were to sell it, depending on what exact model it is and what accessories it has. It's not a rare car, but it's not terribly common either. Probably not a lot of market for parts.

It's very very noticeable. It's a car that would turn heads driving down the street. If somebody saw the car driving in Peru, they would notice and remember. I would hazard a guess that if any women saw that car being driven by that good-looking man, they would have turned for a second look.

What was the name of that guy who got murdered by his best friend over a girl a few years ago? Christian Aguilar, maybe? That's the vibe I'm getting here.

It looks expensive, didn't know it was a Chrysler. Your point that it was flashy and would be noticed in Peru. That is a great theory, that someone noticed him/the car, thought it was expensive, and the person inside rich with possible expensive phone, watch etc to steal. Robbery gone wrong?

 

[carbuff]

It looks expensive, didn't know it was a Chrysler. Your point that it was flashy and would be noticed in Peru. That is a great theory, that someone noticed him/the car, thought it was expensive, and the person inside rich with possible expensive phone, watch etc to steal. Robbery gone wrong?

Hm, that's a possibility. Good thought.

 

[SimplyCass]

It's very very noticeable. It's a car that would turn heads driving down the street. If somebody saw the car driving in Peru, they would notice and remember. I would hazard a guess that if any women saw that car being driven by that good-looking man, they would have turned for a second look.

The trouble is that we have no idea of JJ's movements after the dispensary visit at around 9:12 a.m. on 8/24. There is no evidence to suggest (so far) that he drove it and left it there. The police received a report at around 4:20 p.m. on 8/25 and confirmed that it was his car. It could have been there for an hour, it might have been there 24h or more.

Yes, your points are good. I know a body has been found on the river bank, about a mile from where they found his car, waiting on ID. I am assuming the person found had been in the river. I was praying this would NOT be him, I immediately thought suicide? He had a meeting with a professor about his grades, he was in grad school, expensive car, so there might have been pressure on him, maybe depressed as so many are.

Unless I'm misreading his schedule, it would have only been week two of classes. I really really highly doubt the pressure was that intense this early on, but as always JMO.

 

[carbuff]

The trouble is that we have no idea of JJ's movements after the dispensary visit at around 9:12 a.m. on 8/24. There is no evidence to suggest (so far) that he drove it and left it there. The police received a report at around 4:20 p.m. on 8/25 and confirmed that it was his car. It could have been there for an hour, it might have been there 24h or more

snipped for focus

I'm not saying that he did in fact drive around Peru. Just if he did, it's highly likely somebody would have noticed and remembered.