*The mother of missing Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day said local police are not giving her son’s case the attention it deserves.
Day was last seen in Bloomington on the morning of Aug. 24. His abandoned vehicle was found two days later and when police inspected the car they reportedly found the clothing he was last seen wearing. Day is still considered a missing person and the case is being handled by the Bloomington Police Department.
His mother, Carmen Bolden Day said the discovery of an unidentified body on Sept. 4 has greatly impacted the investigation.
“Since they found that unidentified body, it doesn’t seem to me that they are pushing to continue to look for my son,” Carmen Bolden Day said of authorities.
A Bloomington Police spokesperson said Sunday “we are still looking and investigating the circumstances behind Jelani’s disappearance.”
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“Without positive identification of the deceased person, it would be improper to make any preliminary opinions about the body’s identity and the circumstances behind it,” said BPD spokesperson Officer John Fermon. “The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deceased person found. We ask that people refrain from speculation as the investigation remains ongoing and could take considerable time.”
Bolden Day said BPD seems to lack the manpower to handle her son’s case.
“I understand that there are other crimes that they have to investigate, but it seems like I only have this one detective and I understand he has a life outside of his work. But once he stops, does that mean we stop looking for my son?” she continued.
Bolden Day is also frustrated over the “lack of enthusiasm” around her son’s case. She noted that after investigators took DNA samples from her and family members earlier this month, she has since been told that “the state lab does not have the chemical that is needed to process the DNA.”
She believes the investigation has stalled because authorities assume the body is that of her son.
The Day case has drawn attention on social media amid mainstream media’s obsession with the case of Gabby Petito, a white woman believed to have been murdered by her boyfriend during a road trip.
Bolden Day says her son deserves just as much attention as Gabby’s case.
“But do you not see us? Do you not see me? Do you not see my son?”
“He is loved,” Bolden Day said. “He is wanted. He is important.”
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