Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Over the last several days, there have been a multitude of news reports and social media posts regarding the disappearance of graduate student Jelani Day. I am asking our Illinois State University community to think about Jelani, his family, and how we can come together to raise awareness and focus attention on the search to locate him.
Jelani’s family reported him missing to the Bloomington Police Department (BPD) on August 25. The Bloomington Police Department released updated information regarding his last known whereabouts this afternoon, which can be found on the BPD Facebook page and the latest BPD news release. We ask everyone in the Redbird community to share any information they have, no matter how small, with the Bloomington Police by calling (309) 820-8888.
I offer my sincere thanks to students, faculty, staff, and the Illinois State University Police Department who have been distributing missing person flyers on campus and throughout the community as well as sharing information through social media and other channels. Illinois State will continue to share information and updates when available. The University will also continue to support the Bloomington Police investigation, and again I ask you to do the same.
Please keep Jelani and his family in your thoughts during this difficult time. Students seeking support are encouraged to contact Student Counseling Services at (309) 438-3655.
Sincerely,
Terri Goss Kinzy
President, Illinois State University
