Two years after the disappearance of Illinois State University student Jelani Day, his loved ones are still seeking answers.
Jelani’s mother Carmen Bolden Day is still putting pressure on law enforcement, demanding they solve the case of her son, who was last seen on the Illinois State University campus on Aug. 24, 2021.
“I’m going to keep on doing everything in my power to add pressure to make them do their job, to make them think about Jelani every freaking day because I need to know what happened to him,” Carmen told ABC 7 Chicago. “I miss him. I miss him so much. I just want him to know that I love him dearly and that I’m not gonna stop fighting for him. I’m not gonna stop looking for the people that did this to him.”
The heartbroken mother said she tried to call her son a day after he disappeared, but he didn’t answer her calls. The young man’s body was found in the Illinois River in Peru, Illinois nearly two weeks later. His car was also found near this location in a wooded area with the license plates missing. The coroner said that he died from drowning. Carmen, however, said her son didn’t kill himself.
Meanwhile, the FBI said its giving a reward to people who come forward with information related to the case.
“The FBI continues to solicit tips seeking information related to the death of Jelani Day and a reward remains available for members of the public providing significant information,” the agency said in a statement.
In an interview with Kendall Rae on her True Crime show, Carmen explained why Jelani was so special.
“He was that kid that was curious and so smart,” she said. “He would get his stuff done, get his work done. The teacher would call me and say ‘Jelani, he’s a good student, good kid, but he just doesn’t wanna stop talking. He’s always playing.'”
Jelani was a standout athlete who earned a scholarship for track and field. He also stayed busy with several clubs and organizations at school. As a graduate student, Jelani was studying speech pathology.
The weekend before he went missing, the Illinois student went to Texas to help his sister move into grad school. When he came back from Texas, Jelani called his mother to let her know that he has returned safely.
Also at that time, as his father was battling cancer, Jelani had decided that he would donate bone marrow to help his dad because he was found to be the closest match. But everything changed when Jelani suddenly disappeared shortly after coming back from Texas.
It was the director of clinical education at Illinois State University who first became concerned when the star student didn’t show up to his class or the meeting he had scheduled with her. The concerned educator alerted the police, who then alerted the family.
Carmen said she called and texted her son repeatedly, but never got an answer. The heartbroken mother, who suspects foul play in her son’s disappearance, said he isn’t the type of person who would go anywhere without telling somebody he knows.
