Missing ISU student Jelani Day identified after body discovered in Illinois river

We are saddened to report Jelani Day has been found and is deceased.

Jelani Day’s Body Found

The LaSalle County Coroner has confirmed the male body found in the Illinois River on Sept. 4 is missing Illinois State University (ISU) graduate student Jelani Day.

The coroner said forensic dental identification and DNA testing and comparison helped confirm the identity of the body.

At this time, the cause of death is unknown, and an investigation is ongoing. Toxicology is still testing.

Jelani Day was last seen August 24th

Jelani Day, 25, was last seen Aug. 24. at the Illinois State University campus. His family in Danville and a faculty member reported him missing after he did not show up for class for several days.

Central Illinois Is Proud reports:
Day’s car was recovered in Peru, IL on Aug. 27 with no license plates in a wooded area south of the Illinois Valley YMCA and north of the intersection of 12th Street and Westclox Avenue.

On Sept. 4, 2021, an additional search was conducted in the LaSalle Peru area where a body was recovered floating near the south bank of the Illinois River about a quarter-mile east of the Illinois Rt. 251 Bridge. At that time, authorities could not confirm the identity of the body due to its condition.

A Facebook page run and moderated by the family sent out a statement Thursday.

“There are no words to clearly communicate our devastation. We learned this morning from the LaSalle County Coroner the deceased man found in Peru, IL on Saturday, Sept. 4 is Jelani. Our hearts are broken.”

Cause of Death

During a press conference, Bloomington Police Department Spokesperson John Fermon said they are still working to figure out some of the details regarding Day’s death.

“We haven’t said if there’s foul play or anything like that. People are on edge. It impacts everyone,” Fermon said.

Fermon also addressed concerns about the media attention Day received in comparison to missing YouTuber Gabby Petito.

“I’m happy this got out there… We’ll take the criticism. Part of our job isn’t to release all the details… Hopefully, this rolls over to other missing persons,” he said.