By Blake Haas
DANVILLE – Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day was laid to rest on Tuesday, more than a month after his body was discovered in the Illinois River.
The 25-year old went missing in late August, and his body was found in the Illinois River a month later in Peru.
According to CNN, around 30 people attended a funeral along with civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson and members of his Rainbow Push Coalition.
“The case (was) brought to our attention by the crucial murder of Jelani Day. (His) brain was crushed, and his eyes gouged; he looks to be medical. (Inaudible) they shoot you and drop you in a car and throw you in a river. There seem’s to be several motives behind it; we will know what happened. We need to know,” said the 80-year old political activist in a press conference.
Day was last seen on August 24 at a dispensary in Bloomington. Two days later, his car was found in a wooded area in Peru.
Speaking with Rev. Jackson, Bishop Travis Lane Grant said the Rainbow Push Coalition is seeking justice for the ISU graduate student.
“The reason why we were are here is to make sure, like in the case of Gabby Petito and many others. There are thousands of cases that the FBI is investigating right now that are just like this case with black and brown victims where the local municipality did not follow through, did not follow protocol, did not follow the process, and the trail went cold. Well, we came to light up the trail and turn up the heat. We want justice, and we want closure for this family.
We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere until we get justice for Jelani Day.”
The LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office and Bloomington Police are still investigating the case with Illinois State Police.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
