PERU, Ill. (WMBD) — Monday night, Jelani Day’s mother Carmen Bolden Day demanded action from Peru City Officials.
Bolden Day said Peru Police Chief Sarah Raymond has been her point of contact since The Jelani Day Joint Task Force was formed but has failed to provide weekly updates on Jelani’s case.
Jelani Day was an Illinois State University graduate student who was last seen alive in Bloomington in August 2021. He was found dead in the Illinois River a few days later, however, his body was not identified by the LaSalle County Coroner until a few weeks later. The coroner ruled Jelani’s death a drowning. But his family believes more heinous conduct was involved.
At Monday’s council meeting, Bolden Day called out Mayor Ken Kolowski and the council for what she describes as enabling the behavior of the police department.
“I ask you tonight, have you enabled the lack of accountability? Have you looked into this case yourselves? What questions have you raised to the Peru Police Department,” she asked. “What accountability meetings have you set up? Do you know the details of this case? Have you asked questions about what is being done?”
Bolden Day said she is grateful for the support but she cannot rest until she knows what happened to Jelani.
