Jelani Day: What We Know About The Missing Illinois Grad Student

Jelani Day has been missing under “unknown circumstances” for nearly a month.

The Illinois State University graduate student was last seen on August 24. His family, of Danville, last spoke with him on August 23. Attempts to locate him since then were unsuccessful, and he hasn’t shown up to class. Day, 25, is described as a Black man who is 6’2’’ and 180 pounds with short black hair, brown eyes and some facial hair, according to authorities.

The Bloomington (Illinois) Police Department launched an investigation, seeking any leads to figure out what happened to him, according to the most recently updated press release issued Monday (September 20). The Bloomington Police Department states:

“Currently, BPD detectives are still sorting through tips, and are still actively investigating the case. Their investigation includes but is not limited to: (1) collecting and analyzing digital evidence, (2) collecting and analyzing physical evidence, (3) locating and interviewing witnesses or potential witnesses, (4) searching for leads or other information that can help with the investigation.”

Authorities launched a multi-agency search for Day on September 4. The search team found an unidentified body around 9:47 a.m., off the bank of the Illinois River and east of the Illinois Route 252 bridge. The LaSalle County Coroner’s Office began investigating the unidentified person’s death and the LaSalle County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the person’s identification as of publication time on the previous release on September 5. The Bloomington Police Department asked the public at that time to “refrain from speculation as the investigation remains ongoing and could take considerable time.”

Previously, police obtained surveillance footage of Day at the retail store Beyond/Hello in Bloomington. He was captured on camera at 9:12 a.m. on August 24. He was wearing a Detroit Lions baseball hat, a black graphic t-shirt, white/silver shorts and black shoes with white soles. Surveillance footage also showed Day’s white Chrysler 300 in the parking lot, police stated. Before obtaining the surveillance footage, the Bloomington Police Department caught Day on the security camera at ISU’s Bone Student Center around 7:20 a.m. that morning. At that time, he wore a blue button up collared dress shirt, black pants, a black belt, black dress shoes and a blue face covering.

Another agency, the Peru Police Department, responded to a call of a vehicle in a wooded area near the Illinois Valley YMCA. That’s where they uncovered Day’s car on August 26, two days after the grad student went missing. Despite an extensive Illinois State Police K-9 search, Peru and Utica Fire drone aerial searches and a multi-agency ground search, officials did not find Day after uncovering his car.

Now, Day’s family is pleading for federal investigators to get involved in the investigation.

“Nothing is more important to me than getting Jelani back,” Carmen Bolden Day, Jelani’s mother, recently told St. Louis-based Fox 2 Now. “I need help to find my son, it’s been 28 days.”

“Now, we need another agency that has more resources,” she continued. “It was just proven with the Gabby Petito case. She was missing, the FBI got involved, she was found within 3-4 days. Can I have the same help is all I’m asking…My heart goes out to her (and) I want the same effort given, too.”

Day’s family launched a Go Fund Me campaign to help find him. As of publication time on Wednesday (September 22), the campaign has raised more than $15,000 from hundreds of donors, far exceeding its $1,000 goal. Find the Go Fund Me here.

The Bloomington Police Department states:

“Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Jelani Day is asked to contact the Bloomington Police Department Detective BPD Detective Paul Jones at 309-434-2548 or at Pjones@cityblm.org.”