Body Found In Illinois River Confirmed To Be Jelani Day

BLOOMINGTON, IL — A body found in the Illinois River on Sept. 4 is confirmed to be missing Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day, authorities announced Thursday.

A statement from the LaSalle County Coroner said the body found during the beginning stages of the search for the 25-year-old was identified, but a cause of death has not been determined.

Police found the body near the Illinois Route 251 bridge after Day was reported missing on Aug. 25. The young man's family and a faculty member reported him missing after they had not heard from him or seen him in class.

At the time, police said Day disappeared under "unexplained suspicious circumstances." Two days later, his car was found in a wooded area near a YMCA in Peru, Illinois — about an hour away from Bloomington.

Police told reporters they found the clothes Day was wearing on the day of his disappearance in the back seat of his white Chrysler 300. Footage discovered from a cannabis shop near the ISU campus had shown Day wearing white shorts and a blue Detroit Lions shirt.

LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch first told reporters the death investigation involving the body that was found was "separate" from the investigation into Day's disappearance. A statement from police said medical professionals used dental records and DNA testing to confirm the body's identity.

"We can all agree that it was very suspicious, unlike him," said Bloomington police spokesman John Fermon. "It's just one of those of 'is it foul play or not?' And that's kind of what the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office is their main focus: is it a homicide investigation, or is it a death investigation, and over time that's where we're going to get that answer."

Day's family criticized the investigation into his disappearance recently on "Good Morning America," saying the young Black man has not and would likely never receive the same amount of attention as missing persons like Gabby Petito, whose disappearance made national headlines.

Since then, Day's case gained attention from national news outlets and celebrities, including singer Lizzo, who shared his story on her TikTok account Tuesday. Day's sisters spoke out through NBC interviews and asked the FBI to get involved.

In a statement, Day's loved ones said they are channeling their energy into finding out what happened to Jelani.

"At this moment there are more questions than answers surrounding Jelani's disappearance and death, and that is where we will focus our energy," the statement said. "As of this moment, we do not know what happened to Jelani, and we will not stop until we do."

Anyone with information on Jelani's whereabouts from Aug. 24 to Sept. 4 is asked to contact the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office by calling 815-433-2161.

The family is also still offering a $25,000 cash reward to anyone who has information on what happened to Day.