Famed rapper Missy Elliott has joined the chorus of people seeking answers in the death of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins, whose body was found in a suburban Chicago hotel freezer over the weekend.
"I pray they find out who did this to #KennekaJenkins smh," Elliott wrote. "This is very unsettling! This is a worry for every parent out there!"
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Elliott's tweet comes on the heels of a protest outside the hotel where the Chicago teen's body was found.
Jenkins was pronounced dead at 12:48 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located at 5440 N. River Rd. in Rosemont, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.
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A dozen people have been interviewed, 47 cameras are being analysed by investigators and social media posts continue to be scrutinized, authorities said Wednesday.
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Facebook videos purportedly taken from a hotel room party the 19-year-old was said to have been at have been shared thousands of times. As the posts sparked amateur online detectives to flood social media with accusations and conjecture, Rosemont police gave an official update Wednesday.
They say the department is still conducting a death investigation.
“Our detectives are working around the clock to identify, locate, and interview all persons who were involved,” the department said in a release. “Additionally, certain videos related to this investigation have been sent to specialized forensic technicians for further analysis.”
Police said they have interviewed 12 people who were “involved in some way”—including eight who were present the night or morning of the hotel party Jenkins attended.
Police are still searching for four other people who were at the party they say they want to talk to, but they did not elaborate.
“As interviews continue, the names and whereabouts of more people present that night are being discovered,” the department’s press release says.
Police said the Crowne Plaza hotel has been “extremely cooperative” and has provided all video surveillance along with employee rosters. Family members of Jenkins and community activist Andrew Holmes had implied at an earlier press conference that the hotel was withholding some security footage.
An autopsy was conducted, but Jenkins' cause of death was pending results, police and the medical examiner's office said.
Protesters gathered outside the hotel Wednesday to demand answers to the many questions still surrounding the teen's mysterious death.
"We ain't gonna stop until we find out what happened to my sister," said Jenkins' older sister Leonore Harris, who thanked the group of protesters for their support.
The mother of the 19-year-old is expected to see surveillance video from the hotel during a meeting with police Thursday.
