Body found in Illinois river has been identified as missing ISU student, Jelani Day.

[sinkingfeeling]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/jelani-day-case-body-found-in-illinois-river-identified-as-missing-isu-grad-student/2620485/

A body found earlier this month in the Illinois River near Peru, a far southwest Chicago suburb, has been identified as Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day, authorities said.

The LaSalle County Coroner reported the body discovered on Sept. 4 "floating near the south bank of the Illinois River approximately ¼ mile east of the Illinois Rt. 251 Bridge," was identified Thursday as Day, a 25-year-old reported missing in late August.

The cause of death was not immediately known and was pending further investigation and toxicology testing, the coroner's office said.

Day's family has criticized the investigation into the grad student's disappearance, saying the young Black man has not received the attention of other missing persons like that of Gabby Petito, whose disappearance and subsequent death made national headlines and spawned a multi-state search from numerous law enforcement departments.

[msongs]

1. most missing persons do not receive media coverage nt

[Clash City Rocker]

2. Not a pretty blond girl, so it won't get much coverage

[Treefrog]

6. Well, if nothing else, Gabby will have not died in vain.

Her case seems to have brought this inequity to the public eye.

[Kittycow]

8. The late Gwen Ifill coined the phrase

"Missing White Woman Syndrome" back in the day so the trend has been around for a while.

I agree with you that Gabby's death has brought it back into the spotlight. I wasn't following her case that closely but one of my first thoughts was wondering how the families of POC must be feeling since they're just as desperate to find their missing loved ones.

I was listening to a video this morning that also pointed out that missing men are very much neglected in media coverage as well. (I guess not in Jelani's case though.)

[Treefrog]

13. Yes, and CNN spotlighted a young missing black man this morning.

A geologist who went missing in AZ sometime ago under mysterious circumstances.

[chowder66]

3. His poor family. nt

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. Gosh, I wonder why it took so long to ID the body.

[Zeitghost]

14. Without getting too graphic

bodies found in water can be hard to identify.

[TheProle]

5. Very sorry for his family and friends

and hope the confirmation can at least being some closure to folks grieving.

[questionseverything]

7. Before they found the young man's body his face was plastered all over the news

Once his car was found police and volunteers did grid searches for a week straight

As to why it took so long to id the body, I’m not sure but I would guess part of it was trying to find whoever forced him to drive so far when his very exclusive graduate program was starting the next day

His last known wereabouts was the pot shop, not more than a mile from my house so this is a little personal for me, it was broad daylight and I don’t think of Bloomington as dangerous at all

I pray his mama finds peace and the cops find his murderer

[sinkingfeeling]

9. His mother said this about the time it took to do the DNA test (from linked article):

"However what I was told that the crime lab does not have the solution that they need to process the DNA."

[questionseverything]

10. I know that's what she said but

I still think it’s more the police were 99 percent sure but sent off to some lab to be 100 percent in part to buy time

Even after they found him, they had to track his movements (probably by tracking the phone pings)

Then they need to get footage of every camera along the way at the time he crossed the intersection

All pretty time consuming and they wouldn’t want to give the killer notice

[sinkingfeeling]

11. I'm in Bloomington as well.

[questionseverything]

12. So cool

I sent you a private message but also wondering, do you feel I have misrepresented the local attitude about finding this young man?

I have a dil who works at isu and she called earlier saying her department was in tears

Growing up here I have always taken a lot of pride being part of a college town( isu & Wesleyan) now we have heartland too

We want to catch this murderer, parents should be able to feel safe when their children leave for school

[treestar]

15. The publicity is not directly related to solving the case

Had there been as much, it's not as if the outcome would be different. Who wants press attention at such a time, too?

Is Gabby somehow better off? Her family?

Making these things about this is just wrong. Both youth are dead, and it sucks.