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

[SolR1]

The family is relying on LE to perform an investigation and answer those questions. I'm sure they are completely befuddled and shocked, and that's why they believe foul play is involved. If they have a specific theory about what happened beyond "he was murdered because he was on the swim team and couldn't drown," I do wish they would share what they can without compromising the investigation.

It's really weird no one has specified when his missed school meeting was. Makes me think the meeting must have been scheduled early morning before Jelani's dispensary trip, and the family doesn't want that information revealed because they worry it will make it look like Jelani left voluntarily.

I get the impression that some crucial info is being held back from the public because the info points more toward self-harm than murder. I'm also wondering if Jelani was hiding aspects of his life from his family. Did he tell anyone about that speeding ticket he got Aug 21? Did his mom even know about his history of speeding and they suspended license or did he manage to keep that hidden from family? Did his family know he used cannabis? Or was this a new thing for Jelani? All questions I wish the family would address, but all topics from which they have steered clear.

Would be much better to hear these things from LE instead of the family.

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

The family is relying on LE to perform an investigation and answer those questions. I'm sure they are completely befuddled and shocked, and that's why they believe foul play is involved. If they have a specific theory about what happened beyond "he was murdered because he was on the swim team and couldn't drown," I do wish they would share what they can without compromising the investigation.

It's really weird no one has specified when his missed school meeting was. Makes me think the meeting must have been scheduled early morning before Jelani's dispensary trip, and the family doesn't want that information revealed because they worry it will make it look like Jelani left voluntarily.

I get the impression that some crucial info is being held back from the public because the info points more toward self-harm than murder. I'm also wondering if Jelani was hiding aspects of his life from his family. Did he tell anyone about that speeding ticket he got Aug 21? Did his mom even know about his history of speeding and they suspended license or did he manage to keep that hidden from family? Did his family know he used cannabis? Or was this a new thing for Jelani? All questions I wish the family would address, but all topics from which they have steered clear.

There are lots of posts on this thread that explain the school program director, CB, had a text exchange with Jelani on the evening of Aug 23. Meeting was to be on morning ofAug 24. There is youtube video of Jelani's mother's describing how she saw the video of her son at the campus, before he went to the dispensary. I've never seen anyone just outright ask, if nothing was wrong, why did Jelani do what he did? I have previously pointed out that I think he also may not have gone to class on that Monday, Aug 23

 

[scriabina]

There are lots of posts on this thread that explain the school program director, CB, had a text exchange with Jelani on the evening of Aug 23. Meeting was to be on morning ofAug 24. There is youtube video of Jelani's mother's describing how she saw the video of her son at the campus, before he went to the dispensary. I've never seen anyone just outright ask, if nothing was wrong, why did Jelani do what he did? I have previously pointed out that I think he also may not have gone to class on that Monday, Aug 23

No one ever has revealed the specific time of the meeting with CB. Was it 8am? 10am? In other words, was it before he was seen at the dispensary or after? That's my question. Yes, Jelani was at the ISU around 7am dressed in professional attire, as if ready for a meeting, so what made him decide to leave, change clothes, and visit the dispensary? Seems like something snapped. Was he planning to withdraw from the program and decided to get cannabis to calm down? And then decided after smoking/ingesting cannabis that the best course of action was to enter the river? Why won't anyone reveal if Jelani was a regular cannabis user? If this was his first time using cannabis - or this particular type of cannabis - he certainly could've had a bad reaction to it that ultimately took his life. I would hope the FBI behavioral unit is looking into that if Jelani's friends & family have no info on it. I would think at least his friends would know something.

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

No one ever has revealed the specific time of the meeting with CB. Was it 8am? 10am? In other words, was it before he was seen at the dispensary or after? That's my question. Yes, Jelani was at the ISU around 7am dressed in professional attire, as if ready for a meeting, so what made him decide to leave, change clothes, and visit the dispensary? Seems like something snapped. Was he planning to withdraw from the program and decided to get cannabis to calm down? And then decided after smoking/ingesting cannabis that the best course of action was to enter the river? Why won't anyone reveal if Jelani was a regular cannabis user? If this was his first time using cannabis - or this particular type of cannabis - he certainly could've had a bad reaction to it that ultimately took his life. I would hope the FBI behavioral unit is looking into that if Jelani's friends & family have no info on it. I would think at least his friends would know something.

The meeting didn't have a set time, he was just suppose to drop by her office in the morning. I took it to mean early morning as he was also suppose to be doing clinicals before the afternoon class, but of course, information not being shared. His mother did reveal on the youtube video that he hadn't done a required TB test and he hung around the closed medical office where the test would be done. He acted like he was waiting for it to open (don't know the exact time) but then he just left without talking to anyone.

 

[Seattle1]

No one ever has revealed the specific time of the meeting with CB. Was it 8am? 10am? In other words, was it before he was seen at the dispensary or after? That's my question.
Yes, Jelani was at the ISU around 7am dressed in professional attire, as if ready for a meeting, so what made him decide to leave, change clothes, and visit the dispensary? Seems like something snapped.
Was he planning to withdraw from the program and decided to get cannabis to calm down?
And then decided after smoking/ingesting cannabis that the best course of action was to enter the river?
Why won't anyone reveal if Jelani was a regular cannabis user? If this was his first time using cannabis - or this particular type of cannabis - he certainly could've had a bad reaction to it that ultimately took his life.
I would hope the FBI behavioral unit is looking into that if Jelani's friends & family have no info on it. I would think at least his friends would know something.

1. Jelani was expected to meet with CB in the morning--the specific time of their meeting not released. For reasons unknown, not long after being seen on surveillance at the student center, Jelani abruptly left campus that morning and missed both his morning appointment with CB, his 1 pm class, and also a patient clinic appointment.

Director of Clinical Education Cara Boester said she texted Day Monday night about his coursework, but that's the last she heard from him.

"He was actually suppose to come see me the next morning," Boester said.

"When he didn't show up, I texted to see what was going on and he didn't answer me. I knew he had class at 1 p.m., so I waited for him after class and he didn't show up," she said.

2. IMO, Jelani's interest and status in the graduate program are valid profiling questions, and I've previously posted the links to the MS SP program including the course drop dates which coincide with the week Jelani vanished. At this time, answers to our questions are unknown.

3. Surveillance released by LE confirms Jelani visited a legal dispensary and toxicology confirms he used the cannabis. There's no information by any source confirming whether or not Jelani was a frequent or infrequent user of cannabis.

ISU faculty member, who reported Jelani Day's disappearance, says it's 'unlike him'

 

[SpringDonut77]

The meeting didn't have a set time, he was just suppose to drop by her office in the morning. I took it to mean early morning as he was also suppose to be doing clinicals before the afternoon class, but of course, information not being shared. His mother did reveal on the youtube video that he hadn't done a required TB test and he hung around the closed medical office where the test would be done. He acted like he was waiting for it to open (don't know the exact time) but then he just left without talking to anyone.

The student health center is right across the street from the Bone Student Center so that makes sense if he got to campus early that AM, grabbed a coffee at the student center and was waiting to get into the health clinic for the required TB test. Health Center opens at 8am.

 

[mewmew]

I know it has been speculated here a bit, but I also wonder if maybe he just plain didn’t enjoy the program and had a feeling of “oh crap, I told everyone I was going to do this and now I don’t like it and I’m stuck.” That on its own may not lead to self harm, but if he concurrently was struggling with mental illness (and troubles with impulsivity), it may have been overwhelming. Masters degrees are very expensive, and he may have already had debt from his undergrad degree. Then there’s the recent tickets, and who knows what else in his personal life. It sounds like he had plans of making great money and doing a lot of traveling, and perhaps he realized that this wasn’t at all what he thought.

I’ve seen many people get into a career and absolutely hate it but stay because they have so much debt. Idk, I just wonder if he had a big time life realization and it just became too much.

All JMO, of course

 

[Seattle1]

FBI is still searching for answers in Jelani Day’s final movements
ABC News -- 9/30/2021

I recognize CBD's tremendous pain but not a day passes with this case that I'm not trying to understand her reluctance to support the findings and instead push for homicide without substantiated, credible, evidence.

From the video, I wish CBD could speak with Jason Landry's father (Kent), where both as a parent, former lawyer, and a Pastor, he might help CBD reconcile her feeling on why the FBI would need to profile Jelani, and also assure her that her beautiful son is not a condemned soul.

I really don't know how authorities will ever be able to conclude this investigation and sign off on his manner of death without CBD's support.

Authorities (and the nation) need to know why Jelani abruptly left campus and never looked back. The Attorney General can't provide CBD what the men and women already living and breathing this case for several weeks can do for her. If somebody was responsible for drowning Jelani, they've got this. If Jelani was struggling, they're not going to abandon her either. And show us any credible evidence of foul play, and we're on it too!

More important, witnesses with information that might be contrary to CBD's wishes need to be able to speak freely for Jelani.

I also wonder if CBD is afraid that she'd be letting Jelani down unless she insists he was the victim of foul play? I hope she trusts and follows her heart here because she could never fail Jelani -- her son clearly adored his mother.

MOO

https://twitter.com/BrianEntin/status/1453725788239392772?s=20

 

[rainyday412]

Police in Illinois seek information on ISU grad student missing nearly a week

I am attaching this article since it mentions this was his first semester in the graduate program. When I looked at the ISU requirements for this program it indicated that you had to have a few credits AT ISU before starting the program. So I wonder if his summer classes were actually not ‘part’ of the program but instead a requirement to start the graduate program. That means he may have only been in the program for one week.

 

[Seattle1]

Police in Illinois seek information on ISU grad student missing nearly a week

I am attaching this article since it mentions this was his first semester in the graduate program. When I looked at the ISU requirements for this program it indicated that you had to have a few credits AT ISU before starting the program. So I wonder if his summer classes were actually not ‘part’ of the program but instead a requirement to start the graduate program. That means he may have only been in the program for one week.

Thanks, @rainyday412 for the linked article.

I'm only familiar with the University's Master Program Admissions requirements linked below.

Personally, it's been more than frustrating that a timeline confirming Jelani's entry into the MS in SP still cannot be verified on this date.

For example, reading that this was Jelani's first semester in the graduate program, I initially believed that Jelani arrived in Bloomington in August to begin Fall Semester commencing August 17, 2021.

However, after hearing CBD's account about her having to badger Jelani for his grades from last semester, which he allegedly screenshot to her shortly before he disappeared, it didn't make sense that Jelani would have any grades for Fall but that he must have sent her his grades for Summer Semester -- ended August 6, 2021 (with grades available August 10). See quoted post below.

Adding to the confusion is the published ISU web information outlining the MS in SP cites the six semesters begin with summer start.

University Admissions Requirements,
Additional Program Admissions Requirements,
CSDCAS Application, and
Application Deadline.

The Master’s Degree in Speech-language Pathology (MS in SLP) is a two-year degree program (six semesters with a summer start). This degree consists 40 hours of academic credit hours, 18 clinical credit hours, and the completion of one of the following degree options: comprehensive exams, an independent study, or master’s thesis.

In the SLP program, graduate student clinicians typically participate in four semesters of on-campus Clinic courses. As students proceed through on-campus clinical education experiences and demonstrate proficiency in clinical competencies, they become eligible for part-time off-campus clinical experiences in conjunction with their last three semesters of on-campus practica. .....

Per the ISU web link below, it appears the program Application deadline- Summer Term - is January 15th (10:59PM CST):

Applications must be completed and verified by this date/time which means applicants should have submitted the CSDCAS application and sent all transcripts to CSDCAS at least two weeks prior to this date to ensure adequate time for verification to occur.

I believe if we had confirmation that Jelani was compliant with applying to the program through Communication Science and Disorders Centralized Application Service (CSDCAS), this would be consistent with Jelani attending the Summer semester (May 17 - August 6, 2021), and sending CBD these grades which were available August 10.

Speech Language Pathology Masters | Illinois State University

From the published calendar - I believe the week of Aug 21 - 27 was significant for Jelani relative to his missed meeting with the Department Director-- especially if the appointment had anything to do with course drops and department-approved adds with override.

2021 - Academic Calendar:

Summer Session

1st day of Classes - May 17
Summer Session Ends - Aug 6
Grades Due - Aug 10.

Fall Session

Classes Begin - Aug 17
First half semester ends - Oct 9
Second half semester begins - Oct 11

Thanksgiving Vacation - Nov 20

Classes resume - Nov 29
Last day classes - Dec 4
Eval period - Dec 4 - 10.
Fall semester ends - Dec 10
Grades Due - Dec 14

https://provost.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/Academic-Calendar-2018-2028.pdf

Last day to withdraw from University with full adjustment of charges | Events - Illinois State

Course drops and department-approved adds with override on My.IllinoisState.edu | Events - Illinois State

Last day to drop course with no withdrawal grade | Events - Illinois State

Deadline to put course on pass/no pass (pass/fail) or audit | Events - Illinois State

Last day for full adjustment of charges for course drops | Events - Illinois State

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

I also thought there was a summer session. CB said that the students all got to know each other over the summer, even though all class/work/meetings were still being done remotely.

 

[rkendmar]

The FBI on Thursday was provided all files from the multijurisdictional unit investigating Jelani Day's death, the Peru Police chief said.

Those files include all Peru Police documents plus all files from the multijurisdictional unit, Peru Police Chief Bob Pyszka said in a statement Thursday.

Generally speaking, the FBI only becomes the lead investigative agency on a case if there’s reason to believe a federal crime has been committed. Without that, the FBI can only provide support to the lead local agency.

When asked, Pyszka confirmed to WGLT that the FBI has not taken the lead in the investigation because at this time, there is no evidence of a federal crime that would warrant doing so.
Peru Police chief says they've handed over all Jelani Day files to the FBI

 

[rainyday412]

The FBI on Thursday was provided all files from the multijurisdictional unit investigating Jelani Day's death, the Peru Police chief said.

Those files include all Peru Police documents plus all files from the multijurisdictional unit, Peru Police Chief Bob Pyszka said in a statement Thursday.

Generally speaking, the FBI only becomes the lead investigative agency on a case if there’s reason to believe a federal crime has been committed. Without that, the FBI can only provide support to the lead local agency.

When asked, Pyszka confirmed to WGLT that the FBI has not taken the lead in the investigation because at this time, there is no evidence of a federal crime that would warrant doing so.
Peru Police chief says they've handed over all Jelani Day files to the FBI

Honestly I think the Peru police had their hands tied on this. If they didn’t do it, the backlash could be enormous. I live in a nearby town and the marches for Black Lives Matter in 2020 destroyed our downtown businesses. So that was my concern if the police didn’t respond in this way.

But, I don’t think the FBI will do anything different, so I don’t know if that takes us any further.

 

[rkendmar]

Much has been made of how the delay in finding the body might have affected the ability of authorities to discern what happened to him [Jelani Day]. LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch said in at least one respect, that's not the case — in the testing of the body. He said if a body is not deteriorated, they test blood, serum, and sometimes fluid from the eye. If the body has decay the preferred test is liver tissue.

He said the sensitivity of the tests is the same. And the standards used to determine detectable and significant levels of compounds are uniform and set by federal authorities using decades of experience and scientific research.

Ploch said water and time may have reduced evidence external to Day's body that crime scene investigators might have found useful. But Ploch said it's still too soon to talk about the possibility that it may never be known how Jelani Day came to be in the water.

"I'm not going to answer that yet because I know the police agencies, the FBI and State Police are working this case really hard," said Ploch.
Time until Jelani Day's body was found did not affect part of the science

 

[BeckyF]

DBM

 

[rkendmar]

Acad Forensic Pathol. 2018 Mar; 8(1): 8–43.
Published online 2018 Mar 7. doi: 10.23907/2018.002
PMCID: PMC6474464
PMID: 31240023
Investigation of Drowning Deaths: A Practical Review
Erica J. Armstrong, MD and Kevin L. Erskine

A significant number of water-related deaths are attributed to accidental drowning, while a smaller but still significant number represent suicidal or homicidal drowning.
Others involve a combination of drowning precipitated by injury, intoxication, or environmental extremes. Still others involve victims that die from injury, intoxication, or a natural disease entity of such significance as to preclude the drowning process, while near or in water.
While there may be an initial presumption that all water-related deaths are accidental drownings, other possibilities must be considered in the investigation of these types of deaths, as drowning as a cause of death is a diagnosis based on the exclusion of other potential causes.
The coordinated investigative efforts of multiple agencies and disciplines are required not only for the designation as drowning as the cause of death but also for death certification.
Investigation of Drowning Deaths: A Practical Review

 

[Charlot123]

Without commenting on most aspects of this complicated case… I, too, think that Pettito/Laundry case was overplayed by the media, and on social platforms. At the same time, two cases, murder of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner in Moab, and the disappearance of Jelani Day, got paltry press coverage and little media interest. I am not even discussing the difference in the resources spent.

 

[rainyday412]

Without commenting on most aspects of this complicated case… I, too, think that Pettito/Laundry case was overplayed by the media, and on social platforms. At the same time, two cases, murder of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner in Moab, and the disappearance of Jelani Day, got paltry press coverage and little media interest. I am not even discussing the difference in the resources spent.

99.9% of the cases don’t hit the media. If the person isn’t pretty, white, young, and female….it won’t explode. I think the cases you mentioned got pretty decent media coverage though, even though it’s not anything compared to gabby. We have some missing person cases recently in our region that can barely hit the local news.

 

[JerseyGirl]

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Found Deceased - IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021 #2