National news sparked across Black America on Friday, September 8, when the death of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins went viral on social media. Jenkins was reported missing by her friends Saturday, and on Sunday, investigators found Jenkins dead inside a walk-in hotel freezer at the Crowne Plaza hotel in the Village of Rosemont, Ill. just northwest of Chicago. The cause of death has not been released.
Shortly after, the announcement of her death, hashtags such as #JusticeforKenneka and #KennekaJenkins began to appear on Instagram and Twitter, claiming the police did not act fast enough. Some posts speculated that the authorities did not make Jenkins’ investigation a priority because of her ethnicity.
Soon after, videos of the young woman engaging in underage drinking at the hotel party began surfacing on the internet. One video clip shows a man who is filming himself and other people in the room, may have captured footage of Jenkins exiting the room.
The second video, which was recorded live on Facebook Saturday morning, shows a young woman filming herself. Many social media users say they can see a reflection of Jenkins in the woman’s mirrored sunglasses.
Now, online amateur detectives who took interest in the case have made edits to the original video. Some viewers believe they can hear a discussion on rape and murder in the background. However, Rosemont police have stated that they are conducting a death investigation not a homicide probe.
“There are literally dozens of conspiracy theories that have been offered and countless people who are attempting to play detective and solve the case as to what happened over there,” said Gary Mack, a spokesman for the Village of Rosemont. “Our police officers are leaving no stone unturned as far as trying to put all the pieces together.”
Recently, surveillance videos were released showing Jenkins staggering alone through the hotel kitchen at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. However, the videos do not show Jenkins walking inside the walk-in freezer.
At a news conference a few weeks ago, the Jenkins family attorneys Larry Rogers Jr. and Sam Adam Jr., announced that they will conduct their own investigation and possibly a second autopsy.
“[The hotel] never checked. They never searched, they never did anything while a young, 19-year-old disoriented girl was sitting in their freezer,” Adam said. “Now there has to be an answer to how that happened. Better yet, there has to be an answer to why that happened.”
During the news conference, Attorney Rogers insinuated Jenkins’ life could have been saved or found quickly if the hotel staff listened to Jenkins’ friends and mother when they came seeking help.
Jenkin’s mother, Tereasa Martin believes foul play was involved in her daughter’s death.
“They think that she walked into a cooler, intoxicated, barely able to hold herself up,” she said of the investigators, adding that walk-in freezer doors are heavy and difficult to open. “Please, please, please, I beg you, let me know something. Help me.”
This past weekend, a memorial was held for the teen at Douglas Park in Chicago. The memorial was later turned into a protest march led by Martin and 100 community members who were dissatisfied with the hotel videos released.
Activists believe the video clips may have been doctored and threatened to protest 30 days outside the Crowne Plaza hotel, if they weren’t given the full version of the tape.
“I’m not a professional, but the FBI, from what I heard, they are professionals,” she said. “I’m just looking for help — that’s all I’ve been asking for since day one.”