She died in a hotel's walk-in freezer. Her family will receive more than $6 million

 In 2017, Kenneka Jenkins was found dead in a kitchen freezer at a Crowne Plaza hotel outside of Chicago. The family filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kenneka’s death, and has now reached a settlement reportedly worth $6 million USD. In September of 2017, Kenneka attended a late-night party in the hotel located on the ninth floor. She was reported missing after she never came home that night, and after a day of her disappearance, Kenneka was discovered in the commercial freezer in the hotel. Surveillance video of Kenneka Jenkins walking around the hotel moments before her death circulated the internet and even though her cause of death was hypothermia, conspiracy theorists shared their beliefs on how Kenneka passed. Some believed that her death involved foul play, and insisted authorities were covering something up involving the case. 

As discussed previously in my other blogs, I am very fascinated with unusual cases like these. I remember hearing of this case through social media a couple years ago, and seeing the many conspiracies that were posted as well. The reason for these conspiracies was not just because of the unanswered questions surrounding this case, such as why she ended up in the freezer and didn’t leave it. There was speculation because when Kenneka Jenkins was found she had some of her clothes partially removed and a shoe missing. These pieces of evidence would suggest foul play, however the investigation did not point to that and it was labeled as an accident. My theory is that Kenneka’s alcohol intake was the reasoning behind her death. She most likely walked into the freezer because she was intoxicated, but then some argue that doesn’t explain why she was partially undressed. However, scientists that study hypothermia have uncovered a sensation known as paradoxical undressing. Paradoxical undressing is where people freezing to death often remove their clothes, which would explain why Kenneka’s shirt was partially taken off when her body was discovered. 

Published by Marisa Potts, December 13th, 2023

Originally written, 1:35 PM ET, December 13th, 2023, by Bill Chappell

Kenneka Jenkins family gets $6 million settlement over death in hotel freezer : NPR