Medical examiner: Kenneka Jenkins died from exposure and her death was an accident
Kenneka Jenkins
The Cook County medical examiner's office has determined that  Kenneka Jenkins'  death at a Rosemont hotel was an accident.  She  died of hypothermia from exposure to cold in a walk-in freezer   it  said.
Surveillance videos released by police days later show  Jenkins   alone  wandering through a kitchen area near the freezer not long after she disappeared.
The initial lack of information released by authorities drew activists and sparked online conspiracy theories that she was attacked and killed. The speculation was fueled by a number of videos on social media appearing to show the party and some of  Jenkins ' friends.
The autopsy found mucosal erosions  a type of lesion  that indicated  Jenkins  had suffered from hypothermia  the medical examiner's office said in a statement.
The combination of alcohol and topiramate found in  Jenkins 's blood can cause "impaired memory and concentration  poor coordination  confusion and impaired judgement " among other adverse effects  the office said. This  plus cold exposure  could speed the onset of hypothermia and death  the medical examiner's office said.
On Sept. 27  the medical examiner's office went back for a follow-up investigation. A forensic pathologist assigned to  Jenkins ' case and the office's chief of investigations  a former New Orleans Police Department homicide detective lieutenant  went to the hotel and followed the path  Jenkins  took to a kitchen on the lower level of the hotel  the office said.
Rosemont police led the staff through the main kitchen area  up a set of stairs into a second kitchen area that was said to be unused at the time of  Jenkins ' death  the office said.
Inside the cooler is the walk-in freezer where  Jenkins  was discovered  the office said. At the time of the inspection  the cooler's thermometer indicated a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit  and the freezer's thermometer indicated a temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit  the office said.
 The freezer Jenkins  was found in was capable of getting to a temperature of 8 degrees  the medical examiner's office noted.
 Kenneka Jenkins   19  was pronouced dead early Sept. 10  2017  after  she  was found in a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Rosemont. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office released photos on Oct. 6  2017  related to the cause and manner of death for  Jenkins . (Tribune and Cook Co. Medical Examiner's Office photos) (Tribune and Cook Co. Medical Examiner's Office photos)
Rosemont police told the medical examiner's staff that the light inside the freezer was not on when  Jenkins  was found. There is a light switch outside the cooler door  the office said.
Video surveillance showed  Jenkins  entering the kitchen at approximately 3:32 a.m. on Sept. 9  but the recordings do not clearly show  her  entering the cooler and freezer because there are no cameras that directly show those doors  the office said.
 Jenkins  was discovered in the freezer approximately 21 hours after the video documented  her  entering the kitchen  the office said.
Citing the police investigation  the medical examiner said there's no evidence  Jenkins  was forced to consume the alcohol or the drug. There also was no evidence of another person near the kitchen with  Jenkins   and there was no evidence of an altercation or interaction with another individual immediately prior to  her  death  the office said.
The court filings also revealed that attorneys for  Jenkins ' family conducted a private investigation of the 19-year-old's death and found no evidence of injury from a physical attack or sexual assault.
Kenneka's mother had sought police assistance a few hours after her daughter disappeared  but a dispatcher told  her Jenkins  might have gone to a friend's place or passed out after drinking too much.
The Cook County medical examiner's office has determined that  [TGT]death at a Rosemont hotel was an accident.  She  died of hypothermia from exposure to cold in a walk-in freezer   it  said.
Surveillance videos released by police days later show  Jenkins   alone  wandering through a kitchen area near the freezer not long after she disappeared.
The initial lack of information released by authorities drew activists and sparked online conspiracy theories that she was attacked and killed. The speculation was fueled by a number of videos on social media appearing to show the party and some of  [TGT] friends.
The autopsy found mucosal erosions  a type of lesion  that indicated  Jenkins  had suffered from hypothermia  the medical examiner's office said in a statement.
The combination of alcohol and topiramate found in  Jenkins 's blood can cause "impaired memory and concentration  poor coordination  confusion and impaired judgement " among other adverse effects  the office said. This  plus cold exposure  could speed the onset of hypothermia and death  the medical examiner's office said.
On Sept. 27  the medical examiner's office went back for a follow-up investigation. A forensic pathologist assigned to  Jenkins ' case and the office's chief of investigations  a former New Orleans Police Department homicide detective lieutenant  went to the hotel and followed the path  Jenkins  took to a kitchen on the lower level of the hotel  the office said.
Rosemont police led the staff through the main kitchen area  up a set of stairs into a second kitchen area that was said to be unused at the time of  Jenkins ' death  the office said.
Inside the cooler is the walk-in freezer where  Jenkins  was discovered  the office said. At the time of the inspection  the cooler's thermometer indicated a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit  and the freezer's thermometer indicated a temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit  the office said.
 The freezer Jenkins  was found in was capable of getting to a temperature of 8 degrees  the medical examiner's office noted.
 Kenneka Jenkins   19  was pronouced dead early Sept. 10  2017  after  she  was found in a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Rosemont. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office released photos on Oct. 6  2017  related to the cause and manner of death for  Jenkins . (Tribune and Cook Co. Medical Examiner's Office photos) (Tribune and Cook Co. Medical Examiner's Office photos)
Rosemont police told the medical examiner's staff that the light inside the freezer was not on when  Jenkins  was found. There is a light switch outside the cooler door  the office said.
Video surveillance showed  Jenkins  entering the kitchen at approximately 3:32 a.m. on Sept. 9  but the recordings do not clearly show  her  entering the cooler and freezer because there are no cameras that directly show those doors  the office said.
 Jenkins  was discovered in the freezer approximately 21 hours after the video documented  her  entering the kitchen  the office said.
Citing the police investigation  the medical examiner said there's no evidence  Jenkins  was forced to consume the alcohol or the drug. There also was no evidence of another person near the kitchen with  Jenkins   and there was no evidence of an altercation or interaction with another individual immediately prior to  her  death  the office said.
The court filings also revealed that attorneys for  Jenkins ' family conducted a private investigation of the 19-year-old's death and found no evidence of injury from a physical attack or sexual assault.
Kenneka's mother had sought police assistance a few hours after her daughter disappeared  but a dispatcher told  her Jenkins  might have gone to a friend's place or passed out after drinking too much.