Jelani Day Task Force no longer will work proactively on case

The Jelani Day Task Force agencies, led by the Peru Police Department, announced Monday that after two years they no longer will be proactively working on the case.

The multi-agency task force said it agreed that Day’s cause of death was drowning, confirming the La Salle County Coroner’s Office report, and the manner of death is undetermined.

“After an extensive multi-agency investigation, there are currently no active leads or further information to report,” the agencies said in a news release Monday morning. “The task force will continue to solicit tips from the public, and the $10,000 reward for substantial information regarding Day’s final hours remain active.”

Day, a 25-year-old Illinois State University graduate student, was reported missing Aug. 25, 2021. His body was found nine days later in the Illinois River in La Salle County. It was 19 days after the discovery before the coroner’s office identified him.

Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond, who heads the task force investigating Jelani Day’s death, said the task force still will follow up on any tips, but it no longer is proactively working on the case.

The task force consists of agencies from Bloomington, Peru, La Salle, La Salle County and the Illinois State Police.

Raymond said the task force no longer will meet with Jelani Day’s mother, Carmen Bolden Day, once a month, but it will provide updates to her as they become available.