Kenneka Jenkins Case: Autopsy, Death, Funeral, Friends, Documentary

Kenneka Jenkins was a 19-year-old girl found dead in the freezer of the Crowne Plaza Chicago OHare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. On September 8, 2017, she visited the hotel to attend a party with her friends.

Kenneka Jenkins was a 19-year-old girl found dead in the freezer of the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. On September 8, 2017, she visited the hotel to attend a party with her friends.

According to the medical reports after her autopsy, it was revealed that traces of alcohol and Topiramate were found in her system. Due to being latched in the freezer, she suffered hypothermia, and the traces found in her system increased the effects of hypothermia. 

The investigation report released by the police stated that there was no sign of foul play. The police concluded by stating that the investigation was incomplete. 

Kenneka Jenkins’s family and friends criticized the statement released by the police department. In addition, Kenneka’s family filed a lawsuit against the hotel. 

Kenneka Jenkins Death

On September 8, 2017, Kenneka Jenkins and her friends attended a party in room 926 of Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois. A witness said that Jenkins was acting completely awkward, as if she had consumed marijuana. 

While hugging the witness, she was swaying back and forth. Another witness, who appeared to be Kennak’s friend told, she “wasn’t acting like her usual self.” The witness added that Kenneka danced a little bit, then appeared sad while walking to sit in the corner.

Camera footage shows that at 3:20 am, Kenna Jenkins was seen with her friends near the hall room at the front desk. In the video, it was observed that she was stumbling to walk normally.

After some time, her friends noticed her missing and contacted her mother. Jenkins’s mother arrived at the hotel at 5:30 am to assist in the search for her daughter. After knocking on all the doors in the hotel room, there was no sign of Jenkins anywhere. 

Kenneka’s mother asked to show the video footage, but the hotel refused to show any footage until a missing report was filed. The hotel then called 911 to take the police into the matter. 

The police didnt file any missing reports until they were completely sure. Kenna’s family and friends criticized the police for this act. On Saturday, at 1:15, the missing official report was filed, and the footage was checked. 

The police couldn’t find Kenneka’s location anywhere other than her entering the hotel with her friends. At 10 pm, she was spotted staggering in the hallway at the front desk. Still, this was not enough to let them have any clue. 

At 12:48 am Sunday, she was found in a hotel kitchen room freezer with her head facing down her side, with one shoe off. There was no sign of brutality other than a small cut on her foot. 

It was found that her body was in the freezer for more than a day under a temperature of less than 0-degree centigrade. 

Investigation Of Kenneka Jenkins’s Death

During the investigation, reports showed that the freezer was not in use. It was within a walk-in freezer. The freezer’s light was closed when she entered, but the primary question remains as to who switched on the freezer. 

It was confirmed from the footage that Kenna was intoxicated and staggered until she entered the kitchen. She walked near the freezer at the corner, which was out of the camera’s sight. This led to more speculations as to who switched on the freezer. 

In the autopsy reports, there were no traces of any illegal drug, but the alcohol level in her blook was 0.112. Also, traces of Topiramate, a drug used to treat epilepsy and migraine headaches, was found in her system. 

Her mother reported that she was not prescribed the medicine. The traces of Topiramate and alcohol increased the effects of both and hastened the onset of hypothermia. 

Although, the autopsy report didn’t mention these traces to be the cause of death. Later, the police released a statement, “while no foul play was suspected, their investigation had not yet been completed.”

Litigation Against The Hotel

After the investigation, in 2018, Kenneka’s family attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, filed a $50 million lawsuit against the hotel and others involved. He described the photos given by the hotel of the freezer having a lock. 

He added that someone must have locked the door from outside. This statement didn’t hold much worth as there was no footage of the incident. 

Then, he later explained to the court that the freezer in the footage is different from the freezer discussed in the pictures. He points out that the freezer misses out on a lock. 

The attorney forced on the key point as the hotel had the means to lock off the kitchen area because it had a pair of plywood doors with a padlock.

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