Jelani Day case: Family upset FBI looking at 25-year-old's death as possible suicide
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (tel:18002738255). Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line)
CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The FBI is now involved in the death of Illinois graduate student Jelani Day. It is what his family wanted since the day he went missing.
But they are not pleased with how investigators are approaching the case.
"Right now we have more questions than answers. And we need to start getting some answers for our questions before we know the next steps," said Day family attorney Hallie Bezner.
It took days for authorities to send in a search team to look for the missing 25-year-old, and almost a month to identify his body once it was discovered.
Now, his mother is angry that instead of tracking down suspects, the FBI is looking at Jelani's case as a potential suicide.
"He had a sound mind. He was not troubled by anything. We had just spoken on Monday. We have a family vacation that's planned for Thanksgiving. We were planning for that vacation," said mother Carmen Bolden-Day.
"Maybe we don't jump to a conclusion that this was a suicide before we know. I think that's what happened here," Bezner added.
Day's cause of death has not been released. A more thorough autopsy is pending, including the results of toxicology tests.
His family is offering a more than $25,000 reward for information leading to what happened to Jelani.
Right now, the family has obtained an attorney but are not filing suit yet.
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (tel:18002738255). Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line)
CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.