Family Of Kenneka Jenkins Calls For FBI To Investigate Her Death
The family of Kenneka Jenkins, the Chicago teenager found dead in a hotel walk-in freezer, is now calling on the FBI to lead a federal investigation into her death.
In a report from the Chicago Tribune, following Jenkins memorial, an estimated 30 people marched to the FBI's field office in Chicago later in the afternoon to demand a federal investigation.
READ: Chicago Teenager Kenneka Jenkins Found Dead In Hotel Freezer
"I'm not a professional, but the FBI, from what I heard, they are professionals," Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin, said, according to the Tribune. "I'm just looking for help—that's all I've been asking for since day one."
However, in a report from Newsweek, Garrett Croon, a spokesman for the FBI Chicago field office, said that the FBI would not open its own probe unless requested but it will support “our local and federal law enforcement partners” in their investigations.
READ: New Video Shows Kenneka Jenkins Stumbling Through Hotel Before Reaching Kitchen
Friday afternoon, Rosemont police released new surveillance video showing Jenkins stumbling throughout the hotel before eventually ending up in the kitchen. However, the video does not capture her going into the freezer.
Prior to this, Andrew Holmes, who has worked as an anti-violence activist, said that detectives had shown him a video of Jenkins entering the walk-in freezer with the doors closing behind her.
"The important part is we all wanted to know: Did anybody call her down there?" Holmes said. "Did anybody force her down there? Was there anybody on the other side of the room when she got down there? And the answer to that is no."
However, Jenkins’ family say they have been misrepresented by Holmes, with Jenkins’ mother, Tereasa Martin, claiming that Holmes called her and encouraged her to get protesters to stop protesting in front of the hotel because it was losing money in a Facebook Live video.
"He came out of the blue and acting…like he was a friend," Martin said about one of the activists, although the Tribune didn't specify whether she was referring to Holmes or not. "But he calls me this morning and says, 'Oh the hotel is not making any money. I think you need to go online and stop the protest.'"
Source: chicagotribune.com