The Jelani Day Joint Task Force is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for new information about Jelani Day’s final hours. Investigators have “enhanced measures aimed at identifying new leads,” officials announced Monday (December 13).
Day, 25, was last seen on the morning of August 24, 2021, and was reported missing the following day when family members and a professor couldn’t reach him. The Illinois State University student’s body was found in the Illinois River on September 4, and was positively identified on September 23, the FBI Chicago Field Office reviewed in a press release announcing the reward.
The task force aims to ramp up its efforts by “engaging in a coordinated, nationwide, multi-platform social media campaign to identify new leads.” Investigators will also release an investigative poster on the FBI’s Seeking Information site offering the reward money to the public “for substantial information regarding Day’s final hours leading to the identification of new witnesses or evidence in this case.
“Investigators believe the full cooperation of the public and Day’s close contacts may be key to understanding the facts and circumstances surrounding Day’s death,” the release states. “The JDJTF asks the public to submit tips — even anonymously — via 1-800-CALL-FBI.”