Found Deceased IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021 #2

[Seattle1]

Could Jelani Day's mother have been referencing the case of Oribi Kontein, missing in Chicago since October 26?

"According to Ibi Kontein, her brother’s car was broken into two days after he left it at the beach. She said the camera footage shows two men throwing away trash in a public trash can and looking into his car window before breaking in. Then they stole his suitcase, which contained his laptop, green card and passport."
Family and friends continue to search for DePaul alum and Nigerian immigrant reported missing in October

While the author of the article does reference the history of past transgressions toward people of color and a lack of justice served in the matter, the only name other than Jelani mentioned was George Floyd so I don't think CBD was talking about anybody else but Jelani. MOO

 

[Seattle1]

We aren’t dealing with the typical family here though. I think LE can’t say anything, since they will be attacked on everything and anything they say. This really is the strangest case I have ever followed.

The strangest case I've ever followed too. Initially, I believed Mrs. Day was being taken advantage of in her grief but I've since observed that family and the agenda coalition use each other to seemingly disseminate inaccurate or unverified information. MOO

 

[SimplyCass]

The strangest case I've ever followed too. Initially, I believed Mrs. Day was being taken advantage of in her grief but I've since observed that family and the agenda coalition use each other to seemingly disseminate inaccurate or unverified information. MOO

Not even the family seems to agree on everything, either. CBD pushed back on the wild rumors of organ harvesting (fueled by the article series by the Sun-Times columnist), but then JJ's siblings said they weren't sure or couldn't completely rule out that possibility.

 

[Gloomy Bear]

The strangest case I've ever followed too. Initially, I believed Mrs. Day was being taken advantage of in her grief but I've since observed that family and the agenda coalition use each other to seemingly disseminate inaccurate or unverified information. MOO

It could be both, to be fair. I think this family is so deep in grief and denial and cannot process things properly right now. I really can't blame them.

 

[everybodhi]

It could be both, to be fair. I think this family is so deep in grief and denial and cannot process things properly right now. I really can't blame them.

Anger is one of the five stages of grief in the Kübler-Ross model.
It is often irrational and can even include anger at the lost loved one you adored or even anger at inanimate objects.
Living with extreme grief can take a long time to sort out your emotions, especially from a sudden and unexpected loss.

 

[BeckyF]

Anger is one of the five stages of grief in the Kübler-Ross model.
It is often irrational and can even include anger at the lost loved one you adored or even anger at inanimate objects.
Living with extreme grief can take a long time to sort out your emotions, especially from a sudden and unexpected loss.

I agree, however when innocent people are being accused of being involved in a death when there is no evidence they are involved in that person's death that is crossing the line. CBD has been vocal on SM about the circumstances regarding her son's death and she could have easily have put out a statement asking people to stop accusing innocent people but she has not.

 

[BeckyF]

Has it been discussed as to whether Jelani had any enemies? Anyone he owed money to?

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

Jelani Day's Mother to Discuss New Evidence as Family Seeks Answers
Carmen Day Bolden new attorney is Benjamin Crump.
This is very long, what stands out to me is that she now makes it sound like no one suggested or told her the recovered body was probably Jelani. She has previously said the coroner told her that he thought it was Jelani and that he had jumped off a bridge and that two officers told her they thought it was Jelani but she "felt" like it wasn't Jelani and didn't want to believe them. Therefore, they should have continued looking for Jelani after the body was found?

 

[everybodhi]

I agree, however when innocent people are being accused of being involved in a death when there is no evidence they are involved in that person's death that is crossing the line. CBD has been vocal on SM about the circumstances regarding her son's death and she could have easily have put out a statement asking people to stop accusing innocent people but she has not.

Unfortunately, she has a lot of people encouraging her grief anger and egging her on. They are even repeating rumors (stolen eyeballs and organs) that have already been discredited as she stands right next to them.
I don't think it's helping anyone, especially her as she is processing her grief.
I'm so thankful I had loving people around me while processing my grief, not people feeding my anger, which was real.

 

[scriabina]

Has it been discussed as to whether Jelani had any enemies? Anyone he owed money to?

There's been little revealed about Jelani beyond the fact that he was a wonderful person who was very close to his family and called his mom multiple times daily, a good student, an ambitious person who planned to start a clothing line & take on a 2nd unrelated job while in a demanding grad program; that he wanted to be a "doctor" (unclear what kind of doctor); that he was a good swimmer; and that he frequently asked his family for money. None of this info is very helpful for the investigation. No info released about friends/enemies, smoking/drug use, habits, hobbies, typical behavior, behavior leading up to disappearance, context of the final school meeting he skipped, etc.

 

[BeckyF]

There's been little revealed about Jelani beyond the fact that he was a wonderful person who was very close to his family and called his mom multiple times daily, a good student, an ambitious person who planned to start a clothing line & take on a 2nd unrelated job while in a demanding grad program; that he wanted to be a "doctor" (unclear what kind of doctor); that he was a good swimmer; and that he frequently asked his family for money. None of this info is very helpful for the investigation. No info released about friends/enemies, smoking/drug use, habits, hobbies, typical behavior, behavior leading up to disappearance, context of the final school meeting he skipped, etc.

Thanks for clarifying what we've heard. I also recall he liked to travel and that his Dad had cancer and Jelani was to be a bone marrow donor for his Dad.

 

[BeckyF]

Unfortunately, she has a lot of people encouraging her grief anger and egging her on. They are even repeating rumors (stolen eyeballs and organs) that have already been discredited as she stands right next to them.
I don't think it's helping anyone, especially her as she is processing her grief.
I'm so thankful I had loving people around me while processing my grief, not people feeding my anger, which was real.

I’m so sorry for what you went through. It’s sad that supporters of CBD are making this into a racial injustice issue. As recently as last night a minister at a town hall meeting for updates to the Jelani Day case, attended by family members and others, brought up race privilege because of the not guilty verdicts in another highly publicized case.

 

[rainyday412]

Family of Jelani Day share latest on death investigation

Dr. Jame Bryant is a pathologist who examined Day's body during the second autopsy.

He said the condition and state of the body were nearly unrecognizable.

"The nametag was on the body bag, but no nametag on the toe for example, so they could have had the wrong name, I don't know," said Bryant on the concerns with the body. "He was totally unidentifiable; I couldn't tell how old he was."

Bryant said within his 50 years of experience he had never examined a body as destroyed as the 25-year-old.

Day's mother, Carmen Bolden Day, said that Bryant told her it was in such poor condition that it was suspicious.


The family shared that the recent discovery of Jelani's phone could help lead to some answers.

"They have told me that the phone has powered on, Jelani's alarm went off and it is now in the hands of the FBI so we are awaiting information on the phone," Bolden Day said.

 

[everybodhi]

Family of Jelani Day share latest on death investigation

Dr. Jame Bryant is a pathologist who examined Day's body during the second autopsy.

He said the condition and state of the body were nearly unrecognizable.

"The nametag was on the body bag, but no nametag on the toe for example, so they could have had the wrong name, I don't know," said Bryant on the concerns with the body. "He was totally unidentifiable; I couldn't tell how old he was."

Bryant said within his 50 years of experience he had never examined a body as destroyed as the 25-year-old.

Day's mother, Carmen Bolden Day, said that Bryant told her it was in such poor condition that it was suspicious.


The family shared that the recent discovery of Jelani's phone could help lead to some answers.

"They have told me that the phone has powered on, Jelani's alarm went off and it is now in the hands of the FBI so we are awaiting information on the phone," Bolden Day said.

I listened to the interview with Dr. Bryant and it really confused me, it's what started the SM rumor that the body found is not JD and the organs were harvested.
He said in the interview he has seen people run over by a truck and in plane crashes who were more easily identifiable than JD (who had been underwater and then resurfaced). I don't understand how this is relevant.
He said he couldn't recognize nor identify the body as CD's son, as if dead bodies recovered from water are officially identified by pathologists based on their appearance and toe tags.
There's a lot of very discriptive links online to body decomposition in fresh water, some with photos, you don't need to be a pathologist to understand it. It's nothing like a body hit by a truck.
I'm not sure of the doctor's background and training, while I found pathologists with his name, he says he's been doing this for 50 years, since 1971, but I cannot find one who has been practicing that long. Unless he is counting from the year he entered medical school which seems an odd thing to exaggerate.
It's all very perplexing, the implication it is not JD's body but someone else who's eyes and organs are missing.
Even though we know nothing was missing and he's been positively identified by both dental records and DNA.

 

[BeckyF]

I listened to the interview with Dr. Bryant and it really confused me, it's what started the SM rumor that the body found is not JD and the organs were harvested.
He said in the interview he has seen people run over by a truck and in plane crashes who were more easily identifiable than JD (who had been underwater and then resurfaced). I don't understand how this is relevant.
He said he couldn't recognize nor identify the body as CD's son, as if dead bodies recovered from water are officially identified by pathologists based on their appearance and toe tags.
There's a lot of very discriptive links online to body decomposition in fresh water, some with photos, you don't need to be a pathologist to understand it. It's nothing like a body hit by a truck.
I'm not sure of the doctor's background and training, while I found pathologists with his name, he says he's been doing this for 50 years, since 1971, but I cannot find one who has been practicing that long. Unless he is counting from the year he entered medical school which seems an odd thing to exaggerate.
It's all very perplexing, the implication it is not JD's body but someone else who's eyes and organs are missing.
Even though we know nothing was missing and he's been positively identified by both dental records and DNA.

I listened to it also and I don't hear that he really came to any conclusions. What is he trying to say? Is he trying to say that that the coroner who did the first autopsy destroyed his body so much that it was unrecognizable? (Rhetorical questions).

I wonder if the coroner who did the first autopsy will have a comment on this. Does not having a toe tag indicate that the coroner who did the first autopsy was incompetent?

Was Dr. James Bryant paid to do this autopsy? Why didn't Dr. James Bryant do a DNA test? ( More rhetorical questions). Maybe he did and it wasn't disclosed.

More confusion. JMO

 

[bombardier]

Family of Jelani Day share latest on death investigation

Dr. Jame Bryant is a pathologist who examined Day's body during the second autopsy.

He said the condition and state of the body were nearly unrecognizable.

"The nametag was on the body bag, but no nametag on the toe for example, so they could have had the wrong name, I don't know," said Bryant on the concerns with the body. "He was totally unidentifiable; I couldn't tell how old he was."

Bryant said within his 50 years of experience he had never examined a body as destroyed as the 25-year-old.

Day's mother, Carmen Bolden Day, said that Bryant told her it was in such poor condition that it was suspicious.


The family shared that the recent discovery of Jelani's phone could help lead to some answers.

"They have told me that the phone has powered on, Jelani's alarm went off and it is now in the hands of the FBI so we are awaiting information on the phone," Bolden Day said.

BBM
I really don't know what to make of Dr. Bryant's statements. He's been hired by the family/their attorney, right? Who clearly are biased in what conclusion they want from this case?
I don't think the position of the nametag is really relevant, from what I know (which is limited, I'll admit) if the toe is not a good place to place the tag, they're allowed to put it elsewhere. In a decomp case where there is skin slippage and perhaps soft tissue starting to fall off as well, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to attach the nametag to a body part which could dislodge during storage/autopsy/etc.
The bit I bolded, about amount of decomp being suspicious, has been mentioned by those related to the family a few times. We discussed it in Thread #1 ad nauseam. What are they implying, though? Are they insinuating that Jelani was dead for...longer than LE believes? That's not possible, he was seen on camera/interacted within the community. Are they insinuating that someone had killed JJ, put his body somewhere that accelerated decomp (like a very warm house, or a shed, or a compost bin idk), then moved it to the riverbank? I just don't think that's very likely. Most murderers want to SLOW decomp while the body is still in their possession so it doesn't leak identifiable fluids, leave DNA-containing skin, etc.
Bodies that decomposed in water vs on land look very different, as well. It would be hard to fake that. Would be hard to fake the damage that occurs from water animals and fish. I just don't know what realistically the Dr could be implying. If he's implying that JJ had decomp that didn't look water related and the first pathologist covered that up, I'm sure he would have mentioned that outright.

 

[Seattle1]

I listened to it also and I don't hear that he really came to any conclusions. What is he trying to say? Is he trying to say that that the coroner who did the first autopsy destroyed his body so much that it was unrecognizable? (Rhetorical questions).

I wonder if the coroner who did the first autopsy will have a comment on this. Does not having a toe tag indicate that the coroner who did the first autopsy was incompetent?

Was Dr. James Bryant paid to do this autopsy? Why didn't Dr. James Bryant do a DNA test? ( More rhetorical questions). Maybe he did and it wasn't disclosed.

More confusion. JMO

I'd take the hired gun pathologist's words with a grain of salt. IMO, anything that does not support murder (and discredit the initial investigators) will be rejected.

The credentials of Dr. Scott Denton, a board-certified forensic pathologist, speak for themself.

The report was drafted by forensic pathology Scott Denton based on an autopsy that happened Sept. 5, the day after the body was found in the Illinois River in Peru. The report was submitted to the LaSalle County coroner on Oct. 23 and released to WGLT on Wednesday through the Freedom of the Information Act.

Details in the seven-page report appear to align with the previous cause of death (drowning) released by Coroner Rich Ploch on Monday:

• There was no evidence of pre-death injury or assault, altercation, sharp, blunt or gunshot injury.
• No projectiles or foreign objects were found, although “abundant insect larvae” were found within and throughout the body and clothing.
• There were no hand or finger fractures.
• “There is no evidence of tool or sharp force marks in the external tissues or exposed bones," the report said.

Authorities still don’t know how Day ended up in the water. His family and their supporters have rejected theories about suicide or self-harm and believe he was murdered.

10/217/21 Jelani Day autopsy report found 'no evidence' of assault on 'severely decomposed' body

Found Deceased - IL - Jelani 'JJ' Day, 25, ISU grad student, missed class, Bloomington, 23 Aug 2021

 

[Lavender Moon]

It could be both, to be fair. I think this family is so deep in grief and denial and cannot process things properly right now. I really can't blame them.

Grief is notorious for distorting thought process.

 

[Lavender Moon]

Anger is one of the five stages of grief in the Kübler-Ross model.
It is often irrational and can even include anger at the lost loved one you adored or even anger at inanimate objects.
Living with extreme grief can take a long time to sort out your emotions, especially from a sudden and unexpected loss.

Yes! I firmly believe profound grief is affecting his mother's thought processes and her resulting statements.
"Grief brain" is a real thing.

 

[SolR1]

Yes! I firmly believe profound grief is affecting his mother's thought processes and her resulting statements.
"Grief brain" is a real thing.

Good thing she has a noted attorney now to handle some of these media appearances with her, although every time I hear her recall facts of the case, she's always been spot on.

Town Hall and Dr. Oz are two recent examples I can think of. Her timeline was pretty solid in the Town Hall. Also good that notable and credible people like Dr. Oz are helping her keep her story out there. Their support for her helps her credibility, not that she should even be expected to do half of what she's doing to push for answers, IMO.