BLOOMINGTON — The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information in the Jelani Day death investigation, but the agency still declines to take the lead.
The reward announcement is part of “enhanced measures” by the multi-jurisdictional task force involved in this case to identify new leads related to Day’s death.
The 25-year-old Illinois State University grad student and Danville native was reported missing in Bloomington on Aug. 25. His body was recovered from the Illinois River near Peru, 60 miles north of ISU, on Sept. 4. Authorities later determined he died by drowning.
In a “seeking information” post added to the FBI’s Most Wanted website, a description and three photos of Day are listed asking for the public’s help in gathering information related to his death.
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The FBI’s Chicago field office and the agency’s Behavioral Analysis Unit has been assisting with the case since October, despite Day’s family and supporters urging the bureau to take the lead on the investigation.
Civil rights leader and activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson and civil rights attorney Ben Crump have joined Day’s family in calling upon the FBI to become the lead investigators.
Law enforcement officials, including FBI agents, have told The Pantagraph that while the bureau can assist, it will not take over the case unless federal crime has been committed, which no authorities have indicated is the case.
A prominent civil rights attorney has joined the mother of Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day, who disappeared in August and was found dead in a river, to investigate his death.
Jackson has said a hate crime in Day’s case could be the nexus that brings the FBI to the lead role. He has compared Day’s death to that of Emmett Till, a Black teenager who was lynched in 1955 Mississippi. Till’s attackers brutalized, shot and dumped him in the Tallahatchie River. His body was unrecognizable when he was found.
According to a statement Monday from the multi-jurisdictional law enforcement, now known as the Jelani Day Joint Task Force, “to supplement forensic, analytical, and technological investigative techniques already in use in the Day investigation, the JDJTF is engaging in a coordinated, nationwide, multi-platform social media campaign to identify new leads.”
The reward of up to $10,000 is for “substantial information regarding Day’s final hours leading to the identification of new witnesses or evidence.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or go to tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be submitted anonymously.
Day’s family has offered a $25,000 reward for information about his death, which they have been adamant in their belief that it was murder.
In a Facebook post Monday, Day’s mother Carmen Bolden Day shared the task force announcement and wrote, “In addition to my reward THEY now have one…..( Interesting). WHO HAS INFORMATION? WE WANT ANSWERS?”
In addition to the FBI assistance, the task force currently includes: LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomington, Peru and LaSalle police departments, Illinois State Police and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.
Photos: Jelani Day’s family holds news conference with attorney Ben Crump
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Attorney Ben Crump speaks during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago, where Jelani Day’s family and attorneys called for an investigation into his death. At left are Carmen Day, Jelani’s mother, and his brother Seve. At right is The Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Flanked by attorney Ben Crump, left, and attorney B’Ivory LaMarr, right, Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, speaks during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Attorney Ben Crump touches the hand of Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks as attorney Ben Crump, left, hugs Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Attorney Ben Crump hugs Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago, where the Day family and attorneys called for an investigation into his death.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, stands beside Seve, Jelani’s older brother, during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago, where Jelani’s family and attorneys called for an investigation into his death.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Carmen Day, mother of Jelani Day, walks with attorney B’Ivory LaMarr during a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Attorney Ben Crump walks with Jelani Day’s sisters Dacara Bolden, left, and Zena Day, right, at a news conference at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, in Chicago.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Dacara Bolden, left, and Zena Day, right, sisters of Jelani Day, along with attorney Ben Crump, center, leave the stage following a news conference Dec. 3. 2021, calling for further investigation and accountability into the death of Jelani Day, a graduate student at Illinois State University.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
Carmen Bolden Day, mother of Jelani Day, talks about the need for further investigation and accountability into the death of her son on Dec. 3, 2021.
Missing ISU Graduate Student
A tearful Carmen Bolden Day, mother of Jelani Day, is comforted by her attorney, Ben Crump, while Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. speaks during a press conference calling for further investigation and accountability into the death of Jelani Day, a graduate student at Illinois State University.
Kelsey Watznauer’s most memorable 2021 stories
Simply put, this year was a rush and my head is spinning realizing it’s already time to look back on all we’ve done in the last 12 months.
Now in my third year at The Pantagraph, I was able to produce some of my strongest work — stories that mattered to me and stories I believe mattered to the community. It was (more than a little) difficult to narrow it down, but I’ve selected four of the heavy hitters and one of my favorite examples of the passionate, interesting students I had the honor of meeting in 2021.
Former Pantagrapher Kevin Barlow and I broke down House Bill 3653, a criminal justice bill that eliminates cash bail in Illinois by 2023.
Karyss Opsal’s “Black in America” and “Flower Girl” captured some of the intense emotion the Normal West student felt this year.
One year after George Floyd’s last breath, Kade Heather and I spoke with activists and community leaders about his murder, progress and what’s next.
Seven LGBTQ+ community leaders lent their voices to these profiles for a Pride Month project by Sierra Henry, Timothy Eggert and me.
Jelani Day’s story is not over and we haven’t been able to tell it all, but this part, I’m proud to have been able to share.
Contact Kelsey Watznauer at (309) 820-3254. Follow her on Twitter: @kwatznauer.