LaSalle County Coroner’s Office confirms body found to be Jelani Day; cause of death unknown

LASALLE Co., Ill. (KWQC) - The LaSalle County Coroner identified a male body found on Sept. 4 as Jelani Day, 25, of Bloomington, Illinois.

In a press release Thursday, the LaSalle County Coroner said the male body was identified through forensic dental identification and DNA testing and comparison. The Coroner’s Office said the cause of death is unknown and is pending further investigation and toxicology testing.

In the press release, authorities said Day was reported missing on Aug. 25. They said his family reported they had last spoken to him in the evening hours of Monday, Aug. 23. Day was seen at the Illinois State University campus on Aug. 24 and his last known location was at Beyond Hello in Bloomington that morning at 9:21 a.m., according to authorities.

Authorities said on Aug. 26, Day’s vehicle was found in Peru. Based on findings by the Peru Police Department when recovering the vehicle, a command post was established and an extensive search by multiple agencies was conducted. Subsequent searches were conducted in the Peru area and Day was not located.

Authorities said on Sept. 4, an additional search was conducted in the LaSalle Peru area by members of the Illinois Search and Rescue Council along with other search agencies in the area. During the search, authorities said a male body was recovered near the south bank of the Illinois River approximately 1/4 mile east of the Illinois Rt. 251 Bridge.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the LaSalle County Sheriff’s Office at 815-433-2161.

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