Autopsy For Teen Found In Rosemont Hotel Freezer Inconclusive

ROSEMONT, IL — An autopsy on the 19-year-old Chicago woman found dead in a Rosemont hotel's walk-in freezer could not initially determine a cause of death, and further study is needed, which could take the Cook County medical examiner's office several more weeks to reach a conclusion on how the teen died, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Rosemont police, however, are classifying the active death investigation of Kenneka Jenkins as "noncriminal," despite the belief of the victim's mother that her daughter's death was the result of foul play. A Facebook Live video that has gone viral also has others believing Jenkins' death was not accidental.

According to Tereasa Martin, the teen's mother, Jenkins left home around 11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, to attend a party in a room on the ninth floor of the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont. Martin said she heard from her daughter's friends just after 4 a.m. Saturday, saying they couldn't find the teen. The mother then went to the hotel, where she was told to call 911.

Jenkins' sister reported her missing Saturday afternoon. After an 11-hour search, hotel staff found the 19-year-old's body inside a walk-in freezer early Sunday. The medical examiner's office pronounced her dead at 12:48 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Arlington Heights news. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

RELATED: Teen Found Dead In Rosemont Hotel Freezer; Facebook Video Could Provide Clues

Martin said police told the family that Jenkins was drunk when she let herself into the freezer. But Martin claims that seems highly unlikey given how heavy the freezer's double doors are and how much strength her daughter would have needed to unlock and open them.

On Thursday, Rosemont police will show Martin hotel security camera video from the weekend, Gary Mack, a department spokesman, told the Sun-Times. Martin said she originally asked the staff to review the footage when she went to the hotel early Saturday.

Investigators have pulled video from 47 hotel cameras and, in some cases, are sending it to "specialized forensic technicians for further analysis," police said Wednesday. While detectives have been combing through 30 hours of video, police only plan on showing Martin the footage relevant to her daughter's disappearance and death.

"We want to be as understanding as we can with the family, particularly the mother," Mack told the Sun-Times.

Police also are trying to round up all the individuals who might have been in the hotel room with Jenkins. So far, investigators have questioned 12 people connected to the case. Of those interviewed, eight were at the hotel party, and detectives have identified four other individuals who also were there and are trying to locate them, police said.

"As interviews continue, the names and whereabouts of more people present that night are being discovered," police said in a statement.

Martin wants those people who might have been with her daughter to come forward. Not only does she think they might have information about what happened to Jenkins, but they also might reveal the possibly criminal actions that could have led to her death.

"Someone in that room knew what happened," Andrew Holmes, an activist working with and representing Martin and the family, told the Sun-Times.

Martin has created a GoFundMe page called "Justice for Kenneka" to not only pay for Jenkins' funeral but also help fund an investigation. "Help me get justice for her," Martin wrote on the fundraising page.

Those suspicions of foul play also have many pointing to a Facebook Live video that has been circulating on social media and other online platforms. The video allegedly shows a woman wearing mirrored sunglasses with Jenkins in the hotel's ninth-floor room during the time the teen was supposed to be there for the party.

Some viewers claim the muffled pleas for help from someone they say is Jenkins can be heard in the footage. Jenkins also allegedly can be seen reflected in the woman's glasses, and in that reflection, someone appears to be allegedly doing something physical to her, viewers claim.

More via Chicago Sun-Times

Kenneka Jenkins (right), 19, was found inside a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont. (Photo via GoFundMe)

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