“There is a special angel in heaven that is part of me,” Tereasa Martin, the devastated mother of Kenneka Jenkins, wrote on the order of service for her daughter’s Sep. 30 funeral, according to Daily Mail. “It’ is not were I want her to be but where God wanted her to be. She was here for just a moment. It was like a nightmare to lose you. And though she is in heaven, she isn’t very far. She touched the hearts of many like only an angel can do. I would’ve held her every minute if the end I only knew.”
Tereasa, like hundreds of mourners who gathered at the House of Hope church in Pullman, Illinois, wore white. Others dressed in lavender, Kenneka’s favorite color, and the service featured bouquet of purple flowers spelled “NEKKA,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Kenneka’s mother, who continued to deal with the unimaginable pain of losing a child, did not speak during this event. However, others were able to raise their voices in show of love for Kenneka. “’We’re not here to solve this, we’re not here to ask questions,” Reverend James Meeks said. “We’re here to wrap our arms around a mother, a father, many aunts and uncles and friends who have lost a loved one.”
The 19-year-old girl was found dead in the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel and Conference Center on Sep. 10. She was attending a party with 30 other people on the hotel’s ninth floor, according to the Chicago Tribune, when she went missing. She was later discovered in a walk-in freezer, having frozen to death. Her mother has led the search for answers – and for justice. Officers, after reviewing the security footage that shows Kenneka stumbling throughout the halls of the hotel, told Tereasa that her daughter’s death was an accident, but she, like so many others, isn’t satisfied.
“We’ve been following this ever since it happened — crying, staying up late at night — it’s heartbreaking. It feels like a relative,” Denise Mitchell, a Washington Heights resident, told the Chicago Tribune. She and her adult son have followed the story online, sharing in the grief and demand for some closure on this horrific case. “”I’m glad that it was a nice, peaceful ceremony. It was beautiful. The family seemed like they were uplifted … that’s good. “Now, if we could just get all of this solved.”
Our thoughts are with Kenneka’s family, friends and loved ones during this time.