Girl Found Dead in Hotel Freezer

Surveillance video may shed light on the mysterious death of a young Chicago woman whose body was found in a hotel freezer last week.  The case sparked accusations of foul play on social media. Police in Rosemont, Illinois said Kenneka Jenkins, 19, was last seen early Saturday, September 9, at a party at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel. Her family reported her missing later that day, and Jenkins' body was found in the walk-in freezer at the hotel shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday. The results of an autopsy by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office are pending. Surveillance video from inside the Crowne Plaza shows Jenkins staggering through the hotel's hallways early Saturday. In the footage, Jenkins is first seen walking through the hotel with several unidentified people around 1:13 a.m. on that Saturday. She appears to be steady. Two hours later, Jenkins is alone and visibly impaired, and staggers out of the elevator, briefly leaning on the wall for support before heading down the hallway. The last clip shows Jenkins stumbling through the hotel kitchen, which appears to be empty. She walks out of view of the cameras at 3:32 a.m., the last time she was seen before her body was found in the hotel's walk-in freezer. Jenkin's friends said they left Jenkins in the lobby while they went upstairs to grab something. When they returned, she was gone. They said she had "one cup, but that one cup was too much for her". How she ended up in the freezer is unknown. 

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Questions:

1. What do you think happened to Kenneka Jenkins? 

2.  If you were with Jenkins just a few hours before her death, how  would you feel now?

3.  How is this accident going to affect the hotel business?

Its hard telling what or whom made Kenneka go into the freezer. I think something happened during the party, and her friends wanted to hide the evidence. She could have been bribed into the freezer. I know freezer doors are heavy, so I don't think she could have gotten it open by herself. But intoxication, does crazy things to the mind and body. If I was with Jenkins, I would want the truth to be told. I would feel really bad if she had died because of intoxication. I think this accident will slow business down a little, however, this hotel is in a big city, so business will pick back up. 

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Replies

  • You did a good job replying overall. Your opening paragraph is lifted almost word for word though from CNN. Be sure to "summarize, not plagiarize, summarize, not plagiarize" next time.

  • I think that she either was too intoxicated to know what she was doing and wandered into the freezer and couldn't get back out, or someone at the party is guilty of either intentionally or unintentionally killing her by either forcing or daring her to go into the freezer. I would feel really bad and almost guilty if I had been with her that night. I would feel like there was something I could have done to help. This is obviously going to slow down the hotel's business. Anytime someone dies or is killed in a public venue, that venue loses some business. 

    • I agree Katelyn! I would also feel guilty if I had been with her earlier that night before her death. This incident could raise concerns about how much alcohol people should be allowed to drink at events such as these. It may also raise concerns about why these people were allowed in the hotel kitchen in the first place. The whole situation seems very mysterious. 

  • I don't think the hotel's business will be majorly impacted because the hotel staff didn't have anything to do with the death of Kenneka Jenkins. I would be sad to find out she died because that is a terrible way to die and she didn't deserve it. 

  • I feel like the hotels business will be alright. The hotel and its staff had nothing to do with the incident. It could have literally been anywhere else and it would have had the same effect. Sure it was shocking, but I'm sure the hotel managers are doing everything in their power to help the family and the customers to ensure their safety and  security as they stay.

  • I think that there is defiantly some foul play involved. It sounds to me like she was murdered. If the freezer was one of those giant rooms, then I guess she could have locked herself in there and died, but being murdered sounds more convincing. I would feel terrible if I had been with her earlier that night. I would feel guilty for ever leaving her side. People aren't going to want to stay in a hotel where someone died (or was possible murdered).

  • I think the people she calls friends killed her and tried to cover it up but not very well. I think no one will want to go near that hotel again and I don't think anyone would ever stay there again unless they don't know what happened there.

  • 1. I think she was drugged, poisoned or allergic to whatever was in that drink. Perhaps not all of her friends were actually her friends and one of them drugged/poisoned the drink for unknown reasons. 

    2. I would feel responsible for her death.

    3. The hotel business could decline due to the fact that no one but the cameras is watching what goes on in this hotel.

  • I think that she was drunk and open the door to the freezer and walked in the door shut the door behind and she could not get it open, and died of hypothermia. I feel that she would want the world to know what happen to her. The business will not be hurt because the hotel did nothing wrong. 

  • She could have been drunk and wandered into the freezer and when the freezer shut she had no way of getting it back open. I would shocked at first then I would feel guilt as if it was my fault she had died. Well I would want to stay at a hotel were somebody died there, but that is just my opinion.

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