Jelani Day: Internet Furious After Gabby Petito Case Gets More Attention Than 25-Year-Old's Brutal Death
Social media users are furious that Jelani Day, the Black graduate student reported missing on Aug. 25, is not getting the same attention as the Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie case.
This prompted them to argue that missing people of color are given less time and resources by the authorities and the media than missing White people.
The coverage for the Petito case has automatic nationwide coverage, but the debate has been pushed into the spotlight again with many people started comparing Petito's case with Day's, whose dead body was found floating in the Illinois River on Sept. 4 with his organs missing.
People also compared how Petito's identification was completed two days after her body was found in a national park in Wyoming on Sept. 19.
Meanwhile, it took about 19 days to identify the Illinois State University graduate student.
Jelani Day Autopsy
As we all knew what the outcome would be .. I’m speechless #JelaniDay autopsy came back and his organs along with his brain was missing he had no insides and both rows top and bottom of his teeth were missing he had no eye balls in his eye socket NOTHING! #JelaniDay #share pic.twitter.com/iQqCWDXMQK
— 𝐵𝑒𝓎𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝒮 𝒟𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓈 (@LADDY__BEE) October 10, 2021
Jelani Day's autopsy was done by a private forensic pathologist who stated that the body didn't have any eyeballs, just eye sockets. Day also reportedly didn't have a brain, a liver, and a spleen inside the body.
Why Jelani Day's Identification Took Almost Three Weeks
Initially, it was speculated that DNA backlogs delayed the ID process, but the Illinois State Police later said that it wasn't the case.
Public Information Officer Beth Hundsdorfer said that the body's confirmation didn't relate to any backlog, but she and the department didn't provide the real reason.
Police Sergeant Joey Watson explained that mechanisms ensured the agency's requests were considered and met through practices like outsourcing analysis to an external lab, transferring the case to other labs, etc.
What is Jelani Day's Cause of Death?
Jelani Day's cause of death is still unknown, but the police called his case unusual.
According to the Bloomington Police Department, "Just right off the bat was unusual. Do I want to say that it was foul play suspected, we don't know. It was just so unusual and somewhat suspicious that it just kind of peaked our interest of 'Hey, this is not normally how a missing persons case goes.'"
#JusticeForJelaniDay
Twitter users are outraged with the authorities slowing down everything because they claim Jelani Day was not White and compared it to Gabby Petito's case.
Wtf happened to #JelaniDay !? This should be getting as much or more coverage than Gabby!
— Sharon Ramirez (@Shayyra2) October 11, 2021
The media is not doing justice by Jelani Day. Where is the public outrage or interest like Gabby Petito had? He was an aspiring Doctor so it’s no excuse to say he was a troubled man with nowhere going..I don’t wanna boil down to a race issue but I got no other answer 😞
— WavitoBragante215 (@danderson8602) October 11, 2021
it’s fucking sad that Gabby Petito’s case is getting way more attention than Jelani Day’s brutal death😡🤬
— SUMMER RENAISSANCE (@Gvld_Jay) October 11, 2021
Can we put as much energy into finding out what happened to #JelaniDay as we did with gabby and now her boyfriend 🤔🙄
— Tuanita (@SP0iLME24_7) October 11, 2021
The fact that they found Jelani Day’s body without organs is disgusting. This needs to be under the same type of investigation as Gabby Petito.
— tacara (@icaraly) October 11, 2021
READ MORE: Brian Laundrie 'Built Himself Into A Killer' As Seen In Disturbing Facebook Posts, Expert Says
