Investigation of Chicago woman found dead in freezer officially closed, ruled an accident
The investigation into the death of Kenneka Jenkins, a 19-year-old Chicago woman who was found dead in a hotel's walk-in freezer is officially closed, according to the Rosemont (Ill.) Police Department.
Officials released photos, surveillance videos, audiotapes and a timeline of events to the public on their website Friday.
Authorities determined her death was accidental and said there was “no evidence that indicated any other conclusion.”
However, lawyers for the teen's mother, Teresa Martin, say the photos “raise more questions about what happened to Kenneka Jenkins than they answer.”
'Frozen solid'
Graphic pictures showed parts of Jenkins’ body exposed in the hotel freezer where she was found dead.
An officer who went into the freezer — after a hotel worker found Jenkins’ body — said she was “frozen solid,” according to police reports.
Read more: Death of woman whose body was found in freezer ruled accidental
The teenager’s death sparked widespread outrage on social media after she was pronounced dead at the Rosemont Crowne Plaza Hotel Sept. 10, with many people speculating foul play and calling for justice. Rosemont is a Chicago suburb.
“While there were many theories, rumors and much speculation floating around social media regarding the death of Ms. Jenkins, none were supported with facts,” Rosemont Police Chief Donald Stephens III said in a statement. “What we have reported throughout the investigation and again, today, are facts.”
Foul play?
The Cook County (Ill.) Medical Examiner’s Office said Jenkins died from hypothermia due to cold exposure in a walk-in freezer. Alcohol was listed as a “significant contributing” factor.
There was no sign of date-rape drugs in her toxicology reports, the office said.
“Our detective reported no signs of foul play throughout the whole investigation,” Stephens said in a statement. “There is no evidence that Ms. Jenkins was forced to drink alcohol or consume any narcotics while at the hotel.”
Jenkins was last seen by her friends at a party on the ninth floor.
Surveillance video from the hotel shows the teenager stumble into the kitchen area, before disappearing around a corner. The footage does not show her entering the freezer.
“Numerous requests for any and all videos and photos showing Ms. Jenkins going into the freezer of her own volition have not been forthcoming,” Martin’s attorneys Larry Rogers Jr. and Sam Adam Jr. said in a news release.