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Jelani Day celebration of life set for Aug. 27 at ISU

Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day went missing Aug. 24. His body was discovered Sept. 4 in Peru, Ill.

A memorial service is being planned later this month for late Illinois State University student Jelani Day, one year after his death.

Aug. 24, 2021, marked the last time the graduate student was seen alive at Illinois State University.

Day’s body was recovered in the Illinois River in early September. His car and some clothes had been found a few days earlier in the nearby town of Peru. His iPhone was found on the side of Intestate 55 in Bloomington.

Day’s family says they will hold a celebration of his life at the Bone Student Center at Illinois State on Saturday, Aug. 27.

According to a Facebook post, the family plans to launch a foundation in Jelani’s name soon.

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Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director for the Illinois Newsroom. He started at WILL in October of 2019 after serving as News Director for WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan. Previously, he was a news producer and manager at the NBC station in Dallas, where he won 7 Emmy awards. Born in Vietnam, Reginald is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsWILL

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