Home Social Buzz Report 1

5 Unsettling Facts And The Final Ruling On The Kenneka Jenkins Hotel Freezer Mystery

• minute read
Contents

The tragic and deeply unsettling death of Kenneka Jenkins remains one of the most controversial and widely debated cold cases of the last decade, despite the official ruling. As of December 20, 2025, the case is officially closed by the Rosemont Public Safety Department, which concluded that no new evidence has been discovered to contradict the initial findings. The circumstances surrounding how the 19-year-old Chicago native ended up dead inside a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, continue to baffle and anger the public, who widely reject the "accidental" determination.

The incident, which occurred in September 2017, became a viral sensation, sparking massive online speculation, protests, and a demand for transparency from law enforcement and hotel management. Even years later, the details of the Kenneka Jenkins crime scene—from the confusing surveillance footage to the toxicology report—are meticulously scrutinized by amateur sleuths, underscoring a persistent public conviction that foul play was involved. This article dives into the official biography, the police timeline, the medical examiner's final ruling, and the five most unsettling facts that keep the mystery alive.

Kenneka Jenkins: A Brief Biography and Official Profile

Kenneka Jenkins was a young woman whose life was tragically cut short, a case that galvanized national attention and highlighted issues of police transparency and public trust. Her profile, pieced together from public records and family statements, paints the picture of a typical Chicago teenager.

  • Full Name: Kenneka Jenkins
  • Date of Birth: May 27, 1998
  • Age at Death: 19 years old
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
  • Date of Disappearance: September 9, 2017
  • Date Body Found: September 10, 2017
  • Location of Death: Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel, Rosemont, Illinois (specifically, a walk-in freezer in the basement kitchen area).
  • Mother: Tereasa Martin
  • Official Cause of Death: Hypothermia
  • Official Manner of Death: Accident

Kenneka Jenkins was last seen by her friends attending a party in Room 926 of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The last known sighting of her alive was captured on surveillance footage in the hotel's basement, disoriented and stumbling, a key piece of evidence that has only deepened the controversy surrounding her death.

The Official Timeline and The Disorientation Mystery

The official investigation established a detailed, yet highly disputed, timeline of events leading up to the discovery of Kenneka Jenkins' body. This timeline is crucial to understanding the official ruling and the public's subsequent rejection of it.

The Night of Disappearance (September 8–9, 2017)

Kenneka Jenkins attended a party with friends at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, on the night of September 8, 2017. Around 1:30 AM on September 9, her friends reported that they realized she was missing after they briefly left her alone to retrieve a phone and car keys. The friends claim they attempted to search for her and then contacted her mother, Tereasa Martin, who immediately drove to the hotel to demand a search.

The Critical Delay and Surveillance Footage

A major point of contention was the delay in the hotel and police response. Tereasa Martin was initially told by hotel staff that a missing person report was required before a full search could be conducted. It took many hours for the hotel to begin reviewing surveillance footage. When the footage was eventually released, it showed Kenneka Jenkins wandering through the hotel's lower levels, including a kitchen area in the basement, appearing severely disoriented and struggling to maintain her balance.

The video shows her navigating hallways and eventually disappearing around a corner near the kitchen. Crucially, no video footage exists that shows Kenneka Jenkins actually opening the door and walking into the walk-in freezer.

The Discovery of the Kenneka Jenkins Crime Scene

Approximately 21 hours after she was last seen, Kenneka Jenkins' body was discovered inside a large, walk-in freezer in a vacant kitchen area of the hotel's basement. The freezer was reportedly not in use and was located in a remote part of the hotel. The discovery was made by a hotel security guard after the police had finally requested a more thorough search of the premises. The door to the freezer was described as having an inner latch that could be opened from the inside, which was a key factor in the official accident ruling.

The Official Ruling: Accidental Hypothermia and Toxicology Report

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and toxicology screening, which led to the official determination that Kenneka Jenkins' death was an accident caused by hypothermia.

Cause of Death: Hypothermia

The official report concluded that the immediate cause of death was hypothermia, resulting from exposure to the extreme cold inside the freezer. Hypothermia causes the body's core temperature to drop dangerously low, leading to organ failure and death. The medical examiner noted that there were no significant signs of trauma, sexual assault, or defensive wounds on Kenneka Jenkins' body that would suggest a violent struggle.

The Role of Alcohol and Topiramate

The toxicology report was a critical component of the official ruling, suggesting an explanation for her disorientation seen in the surveillance video. The report found both alcohol and Topiramate in her system.

  • Alcohol: Her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.112, significantly above the legal limit for driving (0.08 in Illinois).
  • Topiramate: This is a prescription medication used to treat migraines and seizures. Kenneka Jenkins did not have a prescription for the drug. The medical examiner stated that the combination of alcohol and Topiramate is known to intensify the effects of both substances, leading to significant impairment, disorientation, difficulty walking, and poor judgment.

The official theory posits that the combination of the drugs and alcohol caused severe impairment, leading Kenneka Jenkins to wander into the secluded basement, enter the freezer on her own, and, in her disoriented state, be unable to understand or operate the interior latch to escape. The manner of death was therefore ruled an accident.

5 Unsettling Facts That Still Fuel The Kenneka Jenkins Controversy

Despite the official ruling, the case remains a flashpoint for public skepticism. The following five facts are the primary reasons why many people, including Kenneka Jenkins' family, continue to believe the case warrants further investigation or that foul play was involved.

1. The Missing Footage of Her Entering The Freezer

One of the most demanded pieces of evidence is the surveillance video showing Kenneka Jenkins entering the freezer. Police confirmed that no such footage exists. Critics argue that for the official narrative to be fully accepted, there should be definitive proof of her walking into the freezer. The sudden end to the video trail near the kitchen area leaves a crucial gap that the public has filled with theories of abduction or coercion.

2. The Unprescribed Topiramate in Her System

The presence of Topiramate, a potent prescription drug, in her system is a major source of concern. Since she did not have a prescription, the question of how she ingested the drug remains unanswered. This fact leads to the LSI keyword "spiked drink theory," suggesting that someone may have intentionally drugged her, rendering her incapable of rational thought or self-preservation, and making her an easy target.

3. The 21-Hour Search Delay and Hotel Response

The time lag between Kenneka Jenkins being reported missing (early Saturday morning) and her body being found (late Sunday night) is highly criticized. Her mother, Tereasa Martin, had to wait hours for the hotel to take the report seriously, which many believe was a critical window for a potential rescue. The fact that her body was found by hotel security in a routine check, rather than a police-led search, only exacerbated the public's distrust of the hotel's initial cooperation and the police's urgency.

4. The Freezer Door's Interior Latch

The Rosemont police emphasized that the freezer door had an interior latch, suggesting she could have let herself out. However, the question remains: could a person with a BAC of 0.112 and impaired by Topiramate, suffering from the initial stages of hypothermia, have the presence of mind and motor skills to successfully operate a commercial latch? Sceptics argue that her disoriented state, as seen in the video, would make this highly unlikely, suggesting someone else may have secured the door.

5. The Financial Settlement

In a separate development, Kenneka Jenkins' family accepted a settlement from the Crowne Plaza hotel and others involved in the case. While civil settlements are common in wrongful death claims and are not an admission of criminal guilt, the news of the settlement has resurfaced the case in the media and fueled the public's belief that the hotel and associated parties were liable for negligence in her death.

The Kenneka Jenkins crime scene remains a powerful symbol of a case where the official findings clash sharply with public intuition and the unsettling gaps in the evidence. While the police have closed the investigation, the court of public opinion continues to demand a more satisfying explanation for the tragic death of the 19-year-old in that cold, dark basement freezer.

kenneka jenkins crime scene
kenneka jenkins crime scene

Detail Author:

  • Name : Victor Torphy
  • Username : schoen.isaac
  • Email : hahn.cayla@hotmail.com
  • Birthdate : 1979-07-13
  • Address : 4795 Huels Flats Ritchiebury, PA 40827-7353
  • Phone : (856) 384-6617
  • Company : Treutel-Gerhold
  • Job : Nuclear Technician
  • Bio : Laborum sint eum temporibus magnam. Quaerat et magnam esse molestiae. Non fuga pariatur dolor esse.

Socials

tiktok:

  • url : https://tiktok.com/@ankunding2015
  • username : ankunding2015
  • bio : Nesciunt cupiditate vel aut. Nostrum eligendi id dolor aut odio.
  • followers : 1656
  • following : 602

instagram:

Random Posts