The FBI is still hunting for new information six months after Illinois State University (ISU) graduate student Jelani Day vanished and died.
The reward was first announced in December 2021 as part of the Jelani Day Joint Task Force’s broad, coordinated, and multi-platform social media campaign (JDJTF).
The goal is to assist in the identification of new leads in the Day investigation. This is in addition to the current forensic, analytical, and technological investigative techniques.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Chicago Field Office is assisting the Peru Police Department with its investigation into Day’s death.
Day went missing on August 25 after failing to respond to messages from a professor and relatives. His body was discovered in the Illinois River about two weeks later and positively identified on Sept. 23.
The cause of Day’s death, according to LaSalle County Coroner Richard Ploch, was drowning, but the manner of death has yet to be determined.
Jelani’s mother, Carmen Bolden Day, expressed mixed feelings about the FBI’s Facebook post about the reward. She believes that not enough has been done to find answers.
“That kind of stuff, it hurts me, not because they are now trying to do their job but because they didn’t do their job, because now it’s over six months and you’re offering a reward for information that I begged you to help me with in August,” Bolden Day said. “I don’t find any solace in this,” she added.
Bolden Day is appealing to anyone who may have information to come forward.
Anyone with information about Day’s death is urged to contact a local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
The JDJTF has asked the public to provide tips, even if they are anonymous, by dialing 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting them online.
Source: WGN-TV
