2 years after ISU student Jelani Day disappeared, mother seeks answers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Thursday marks two years since the disappearance of Illinois State University student Jelani Day.

Day was a graduate student studying speech pathology.

He was last seen on the campus on Aug. 24, 2021. The next morning, his mother said her son wasn't answering her phone calls.

Nearly two weeks after his disappearance, Day's body was found in the Illinois River in Peru, Illinois.

The coroner ruled his cause of death to be drowning, but his mother maintains that her son did not kill himself, and has always suspected foul play.

While his death remains a mystery, his mother said she refuses to let his life be forgotten.

SEE ALSO: One Year Later: Jelani Day's mother still determined to find out what happened to her son

"I'm going to keep on doing everything in my power to add pressure to make them do their job, to make them think about Jelani every freaking day because I need to know what happened to him. I miss him. I miss him so much. I just want him to know that I love him dearly and that I'm not gonna stop fighting for him. I'm not gonna stop looking for the people that did this to him,"Carmen Bolden Day said.

Day's mother believes law enforcement has not done enough to solve her son's case.

In a statement, the FBI said, "The FBI continues to solicit tips seeking information related to the death of Jelani Day and a reward remains available for members of the public providing significant information."

LaSalle County Sheriff Adam Diss, who oversees the Jelani Day Joint Task Force, did not respond to a request for a comment.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.