Weeks after his body was found floating in the Illinois River, the family of an aspiring doctor who vanished late August is still waiting for answers and closure.
The body of Jelani Day, 25, was spotted along the south bank of the river in September. He had vanished on or around August 23 and his mom knew something was wrong with the ISU graduate student.
“I call him my ‘bill collector child’ because he just calls me and calls me, nonstop, several times a day. So to not hear from him in a week is very unlike him. Something’s not right,” Day’s mom Carmen told reporters.
LaSalle County Coroner confirmed the body’s identity as Day. An autopsy ruled that his organs were “completely liquefied” due to decomposition in water for a long amount of time.
But an independent autopsy sought by Day’s family revealed disturbing details: Day’s organs, brain, and even teeth were missing. He had his jawbone “sawn-off”, something official autopsy did not mention.
“My son did not put himself in a river,” the grieving mom said. “My son was murdered and my goal and purpose are to find out what happened and hold those responsible accountable!!!”
