Chilling Final Moments Of Kenneka Jenkins Who Was Discovered Dead In A Locked Freezer After A Private Party

Nineteen-year-old Kenneka Jenkins' body was discovered in a freezer in September 2017, following her attendance at a private gathering at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel.

Credit: Wikipedia / X

In the wake of this heartbreaking event, Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin, started a lengthy legal battle against the hotel by filing a lawsuit.

Martin states that her daughter initially went to the hotel on September 9, and according to the lawsuit, Jenkins was last observed by her friends leaving a ninth-floor room.

Subsequently, Jenkins vanished under mysterious circumstances.

Kenneka Jenkins was seen countless times on CCTV. Credit: Rosemont Police

Hotel security footage later captured Jenkins wandering near the Caddyshack Restaurant, an establishment within the hotel, around 3:30 am local time.

Less than a day after these images were captured, Jenkins was found lifeless in a walk-in freezer located in a disused kitchen of the hotel.

In the videos released by the authorities in 2017, Jenkins can be seen unsteadily navigating the hotel corridors, eventually disappearing from the CCTV's view.

Further footage shows her exiting an elevator by herself, looking noticeably disoriented, and shortly thereafter, entering a kitchen.

The circumstances surrounding her death sparked widespread controversy and debate, with her family and friends expressing doubts about the possibility of foul play and criticizing the police's approach to the investigation.

It was disclosed that the police initiated their search for Jenkins approximately three hours following her reported disappearance.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Jenkins' death was accidental, with no indicators of foul play.

Her death was attributed to hypothermia, a result of exposure to the extreme cold of the freezer.

Additionally, a toxicology report indicated the presence of alcohol and medication used to treat epilepsy and migraines in her system.

Initially, Martin sought $50 million in damages related to her daughter's untimely death.

However, by 2023, she reached a settlement in her lawsuit against the hotel's parent company, the security firm, and the restaurant, receiving about $3.7 million.

Two other family members were awarded a combined $2.7 million from the settlement.

Martin argued that the hotel staff's negligence, particularly their failure to secure the walk-in freezer and to conduct an exhaustive search when Jenkins was reported missing, contributed to the tragedy.

The lawsuit was settled last year. Credit: Rosemont Police

Despite assurances from the hotel staff that they would "check and review all security cameras and footage," Martin contended that not enough was done to locate her daughter in time.

She has openly discussed the potential for CCTV footage to aid in finding Jenkins.

During a 2017 interview with Chicago's 107.5 WGCI radio station, Martin emphasized that one camera had been positioned directly above the freezer's entrance.

"There was a camera directly over this freezer," she reiterated.

In a particularly telling moment, she recalled questioning police officials about the camera, only to be met with a dismissive response from a sergeant who assertively claimed, "'There wasn't no camera,'" implying that evidence might have mysteriously vanished alongside her daughter.