Kenneka Jenkins Conspiracy Theories: Everything That Twitter Has Claimed So Far
Hours after a Chicago community activist, Andrew Holmes, claimed Thursday that he had watched a hotel surveillance video showing Kenneka Jenkins walking inside a freezer alone before her death, Twitter users rejected the claim saying they would not believe anything that happened on the night of the teenager's death until the footage was released to the public.
Jenkins was found dead early Sunday inside a walk-in freezer of the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The 19-year-old was partying with her friends at the hotel before her death. Holmes told Chicago Tribune that Rosemont detectives showed him the video Wednesday and it was clear that no one forced the teenager to get inside the freezer. He also added that Jenkins was seen opening doors in an apparently disoriented manner.
"The lower level of Crowne Plaza hotel where Kenneka Jenkins was found dead is scary. You wouldn't willfully exit the elevator on that level," one Twitter user wrote after Holmes said Jenkins took the elevator to a lower level and wandered around before going to the kitchen area.
Some users also claimed that Holmes, who spoke on behalf of the family, lied about the content of the footage. One person also wrote on Twitter that Holmes was paid money to say that Jenkins walked in the freezer alone.
Meanwhile, Jenkins' mother Tereasa Martin, on Thursday, said at a protest outside the hotel that she was misrepresented by the activists who called a news conference earlier in the day.
"He came out of the blue and acting... like he was a friend," Martin said about one of the activists at the press conference. "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.'" She also said the information given earlier at the press conference was false, adding that people should not believe whatever was coming out on Facebook.
During the demonstration Thursday, the crowd erupted into chants of "Justice for Kenneka!" "If there is no foul play and there is no cover up, there is no reason to deceive the citizens of the city," activist Jedidiah Brown told Martin. "I apologize for being a part of that press conference. But what I need for you to do is to call for the citizens of Chicago to be out here every day until she gets the justice she deserves."
A spokesman for the Crowne Plaza said Thursday said the hotel will pay for Jenkins' funeral. "Our hearts go out to Kenneka's mother, her family, and friends," Glenn Harston said, according to Chicago Tribune. "We hope covering the funeral costs provides a small bit of relief for them."
Martin has stressed that her daughter did not get inside the walk-in freezer after being intoxicated at the party, but someone at the hotel was involved in her death. “They think that she walked into a cooler, intoxicated, barely able to hold herself up,” she said about authorities. “I believe it was foul play involved.”
Jenkins' untimely death triggered a social media outrage with many users claiming the police are not doing enough to find out what happened to the teenager. With no clear answer about the circumstances that led to Jenkins' death, social media users came up with their own theories in an attempt to solve the mystery.
The most recent conspiracy theory claimed Jenkins was a victim of an organ trafficking ring because of which her body was found in the freezer. "honestly, the most believable theory i've heard on the Kenneka Jenkins story is the organ harvesting one," one Twitter user said, while another wrote: "Bruh, they're now on Facebook talking about Kenneka Jenkins was frozen for organ trafficking and she wasn't raped by anyone in the room."
Right after Jenkins' death sparked outrage on social media, speculations grew about the teenager's friends setting her up and get her raped to make money. This rumor swirled after a video surfaced online that was taken by Jenkins' friend Irene Roberts and posted to another friend Monifah Shelton’s Facebook page. In the video, the teenager was apparently heard saying "Help Me." The video received millions of views.
According to some Twitter users, Roberts seemingly turned up the music in the video when Jenkins called out for help.
YouTube users pointed out that after listening carefully, someone could be heard saying in the video: "Destiny's brother is raping her" and "don't put her face to the camera."
Another social media user claimed that Lania Sanders, a girl who lives in Ohio and attempted suicide on Facebook Live, was Jenkins' friend and was present at the hotel where the Chicago teen was found dead. The rumor started after someone posted a video of Sanders’ suicide attempt to YouTube, with the title read, “Best friend of Kenneka Jenkins attempting suicide on camera.” However, it was later revealed that Sanders' suicide attempt was not connected to Jenkins and that she was not present at the hotel.
On Wednesday, Rosemont mayor said that rumors about the case were hindering the probe. "It's unfortunate that some of that stuff's convoluting the investigation because all those leads have got to be followed up on," Rosemont Mayor Bradley Stephens said after his annual state of the village address to the Rosemont Chamber of Commerce. "As I'm sure you've seen, there's a lot of different, conflicting speculation out there, so (police) are doing their best to come to a quick resolution, obviously. I think everybody wants to know what happened."
Gary Mack, a spokesman for the village of Rosemont, told the New York Times: “There are literally dozens of conspiracy theories that have been offered and countless people who are attempting to play detective and solve the case as to what happened over there. Our police officers are leaving no stone unturned as far as trying to put all the pieces together.”
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.