Police release new documents in Kenneka Jenkins death
Authorities on Friday released reports detailing the hours leading up to the death and disappearance of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins last month.
The documents, obtained by the Chicago Tribune, dispel theories suggesting Jenkins was the victim of foul play, and outline police efforts to investigate online speculation surrounding the woman's death.
The Cook County medical examiner's office announced Oct. 6 that Jenkins' death was accidental and largely caused by cold exposure, worsened by the drug and alcohol found in her system.
Jenkins' body was found Sept. 10 in a 34-degree freezer in an unused hotel kitchen at the Crowne Plaza O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont. The medical examiner's office said she was discovered in the freezer about 21 hours after video surveillance documented her entering it.
The newly released police documents describe interviews with people who were with Jenkins the night she disappeared, and a party she had attended in Room 926, where she drank heavily and then seemingly wandered off after her friends left her in a hallway for 10 to 15 minutes to look for her cellphone and keys, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
Examiners said she had a blood alcohol level of .112 and traces of topiramate, a medication used to treat epilepsy and migraines, which family members said she had not been prescribed. There was no evidence of trauma or physical abuse.
Medical examiners also said that "there is no evidence, per the police investigation, that Jenkins was forced to consume the alcohol or the drug" or that there was another person nearby the freezer.
People related to Jenkins have criticized the police and hotel staff for lacking a sense of urgency in the early stages of their investigation. Meanwhile, theories about Jenkins' death began to circulate, including one claim made during an anonymous call to police Sept. 11, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The woman told police she had seen Jenkins at the party, and said someone connected to the 19-year-old involved in a gang that might have accepted $200 in exchange for her death.
According to the Chicago Tribune, however, police documents reference an investigation into the claim, noting that the dollar amount had been mentioned in a Facebook live video shot at the party, where some had claimed to hear "help me" on the background.
The friend said Jenkins was merely trying to avoid a $200 parking fine, and the "help me" sound came from a Chief Keef song playing at the time.
The documents stated that Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin at least twice declined a police request to have her daughter's cellphone analyzed. According to the Chicago Tribune, Martin told authorities she had already examined the phone and didn't find anything suspicious. Martin said she would reconsider letting police look at the phone, after officers said they could perform a more thorough check.
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