Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The mother of Kenneka Jenkins has reportedly settled a lawsuit concerning her daughter’s 2017 passing. As The Shade Room previously reported, the 19-year-old’s body was found in a walk-in freezer at an Illinois hotel on September 10, 2017. At the time, it was reported that the teen’s death was accidental and caused by hypothermia.
The Jenkins family reportedly accused the hotel of negligence. At the time, the family alleged the hotel “didn’t secure the freezer or conduct a proper search” for the teenager after she went missing 24 hours prior, as per AP News. Their lawsuit initially sought $50 million “in damages” and was filed in December 2018.
According to AP News, Tereasa Martin, Jenkins’ mother, settled with the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located in Rosemont, in August. CBS News reports that the agreement also includes the hotel’s “security company” and “restaurant.”
AP News notes the settlement has not yet been entered into the Cook County court docket. This is reportedly because attorneys for Martin “asked that the terms be sealed from the public.”
According to CBS News, the Jenkins family would like the settlement terms to remain private due to “safety and privacy concerns.”
“The widespread publicity of this case, including uncontrolled speculation and social media commentary has resulted in various threats made against various individuals in the case,” an attorney for Martin explained in an “unopposed motion,” as per CBS News.
“One of the main terms of the settlement for all parties was maintaining the confidentiality of the settlement.”
However, a judge reportedly denied Martin’s request on Tuesday and asked that she and her lawyers submit another. AP News reports that a status hearing for the matter has been scheduled for next week.
As The Shade Room previously reported, Kenneka Jenkins went missing after attending a party with friends at the hotel on the evening of September 8. On Sunday, September 10, at 12:25 a.m., Jenkins was reportedly found in a walk-in freezer and pronounced dead, as per CBS News.
At the time, Martin explained that police believed Jenkins “let herself into the freezer while inebriated and died inside.”
However, Martin reportedly expressed doubt about the theory. The mother reportedly believed that if her daughter were intoxicated, it would have been difficult for Jenkins to “open the heavy freezer doors.”
“Those were double steel doors, she didn’t just pop them open,” Martin reportedly said at the time.
Additionally, the mother also reportedly expressed disappointment in the hotel.
“If they had taken me seriously and checked right away, they could have found my daughter much sooner and she might have been alive,” the mother reportedly explained, as per The Shade Room.
In mid-September 2017, reports of hotel surveillance reportedly confirmed the authorities’ alleged account of events. However, these reports were later denied by the Jenkins’ family attorney, Larry Rogers Jr.
“Despite requests for all evidence, we have received only snippets of video, none of which shows Kenneka Jenkins walking into a freezer,” Rogers Jr. reportedly explained at the time. “Serious questions remain as to how she ended up in a Crowne Plaza Hotel freezer and why it took a day and a half for the hotel to find Kenneka.”
Additionally, the Crowne Plaza Hotel later denied that any surveillance footage of Jenkins entering the freezer existed, as per The Shade Room. The teen’s death was then ruled accidental and caused by hypothermia.
Furthermore, it was also revealed that Jenkins’ blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.112. Additionally, the presence of topiramate, an epilepsy/migraine medication, reportedly played a role in her death.
“Alcohol and topiramate are synergistic. When combined, the effect of either or both drugs is enhanced. Topiramate, like alcohol, can cause dizziness, impaired memory, impaired concentration, poor coordination, confusion and impaired judgment,” a previous news release reportedly explained as per The Shade Room. “Central nervous system depression, or impairment, combined with cold exposure can hasten the onset of hypothermia and death.”
Despite the authorities’ rulings, the Jenkins family reportedly remained puzzled after photos of her deceased body reportedly emerged from the investigation in October 2017. As previously reported by The Shade Room, “portions” of Jenkins’ body “were inexplicably exposed.” Additionally, the 19-year-old’s clothing was reportedly “pulled up, exposing her breasts.”
At the time, it was also revealed that contrary to the hotel’s prior statements, footage showed Jenkins “near” the walk-in freezer.
We should note that the Crowne Plaza Hotel has previously denied culpability regarding Jenkin’s passing.
“The death of Kenneka Jenkins was a tragedy, but the proximate cause of her death were the unsavory individuals who used a stolen credit card to book a room and host an illegal party which Ms. Jenkins attended,” the hotel’s 2018 statement reportedly reads, as per The Shade Room. “Those criminals escaped the hotel before police arrived and have never truly been held accountable. This lawsuit has no merit and we will vigorously contest it.”
According to CBS News, authorities’ final report on the matter appeared to echo the hotel’s statement.
“While there were many theories, rumors, and much speculation floating around social media regarding the death of Ms. Jenkins, none were supported with facts,” authorities stated, as per CBS News.
