Kenneka Jenkins' Death Ruled Accidental: Coroner

CHICAGO, IL — Kenneka Jenkins died of hypothermia from cold exposure after the 19-year-old Chicago woman entered a walk-in freezer at a Rosemont hotel last month, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which released its findings Friday afternoon. Intoxication from alcohol and topiramate, an antiepilepsy medication, also were significant contributing factors in the teen's death, which the medical examiner's office ruled as accidental, the report stated.

"There is no evidence, per the police investigation, that Ms. Jenkins was forced to consume the alcohol or the drug," the medical examiner's office stated. "There is no evidence of another person in the vicinity of the kitchen with the decedent and there is no evidence of an altercation or interaction with another individual in the time immediately prior to demise. There was no other evidence of external or internal trauma due to physical abuse."

The findings by the medical examiner were released the same day an emergency court petition was filed by lawyers for Tereasa Martin, Jenkins' mother, to prevent the loss of any videos from Rosemont's Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center, where the teen was found dead, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The petition also wants the hotel to provide the schedules of employees and contractors working at the hotel between Sept. 8-10, the report added. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Jenkins had gone to a party Sept. 8 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont, but friends lost track of her, and the family reported the teen missing the following day. After an 11-hour search, hotel staff found Jenkins' body inside a walk-in freezer early Sept. 10. An autopsy originally was unable to determine the cause of death pending further study.

Questions have surrounded the circumstances of Jenkins' death. Rosemont police have treated the case as a noncriminal death investigation, and investigators initially told the family that Jenkins was intoxicated when she let herself into the freezer and died inside. Martin and others have asked the FBI to step in, but Rosemont police have said it will continue to handle the case.

According to the filing, the freezer Jenkins entered did not have a padlock, even though other units had them, the Sun-Times reports. The freezer also had a circular release mechanism and a light inside, the medical examiner's report stated, but the light switch was outside the freezer.

The freezer temperature was 34 degrees after the unit's door had been left open for two hours following the discovery of Jenkins's body inside, the medical examiner's office said. During an on-scene follow-up that retraced Jenkins's steps through the hotel, investigators found the freezer temperature to be 10 degrees.

Hotel security camera videos released by police showed Jenkins stumbling around different parts of the hotel, including the kitchen area where the walk-in freezer is located. None of the released footage shows Jenkins actually entering the freezer, and the medical examiner's report said no such videos exist "because there are no cameras that directly show the cooler/freezer doors." Lawyers for Martin say they still haven't received video from two hotel cameras, one in a lower-level kitchen and another in an unused upstairs kitchen, the Sun-Times reports.

According to the medical examiner's report, Jenkins's blood-alcohol level was 0.112, but it's unclear how much alcohol she had consumed. Under Illinois law, drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 are considered impaired.

Although the levels of the anticonvulsant medication topiramate were "within the appropriate prescribed levels" to treat migraines and seizures, Jenkins' family told authorities she had not been prescribed the drug. However, the combination of topiramate and alcohol can increase side effects, such as dizziness, impaired memory, poor coordination and confusion, the medical examiner's office said.

Toxicology tests also showed no signs of “date rape drugs,” such as Rohypnol and ketamine. While there was an abrasion and contusion on her right ankle and leg, respectively, Jenkins had "no other evidence of external or internal trauma," the medical examiner's office said.

More Patch Coverage

Chicago Teen Found Dead In Hotel Freezer; Facebook Video Could Provide Clues: "I believe someone in this hotel killed my child," Kenneka Jenkins' mother said.

Autopsy For Chicago Teen Found In Hotel Freezer Inconclusive: Rosemont police plan to show hotel security camera video to the victim's mother.

Videos Released By Cops Don't Show Kenneka Jenkins Entering Freezer: A lawyer for the victim's family said they have not seen footage showing the teen walking into a hotel freezer alone.

Kenneka Jenkins Case: FBI Not Needed For Investigation, Rosemont's Top Cop Says: Public Safety Chief Donald E. Stephens III said Monday his department will handle the case despite demands to call in the feds.

Kenneka Jenkins Laid To Rest At Funeral, But Questions Over Her Death Remain (VIDEO): Mourners said goodbye to the 19-year-old woman Saturday during a service on the Far South South Side.

At least 1,000 people — many who had never met the teen — turned out Saturday for a funeral for Jenkins at the House of Hope Church on the Far South Side. Mourners wore purple, Jenkins' favorite color, and doves were released during a graveside service.

Patch will continue to update this story.

More via the Chicago Sun-Times

Kenneka Jenkins (Photo via GoFundMe)

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