Family of Teen Who Died Inside Hotel’s Walk-In Freezer Agrees to $10 Million Settlement

Mar. 15, 2025

Kenneka Jenkins.Photo:Kenneka Martin/Facebook

Kenneka Martin/Facebook

The family ofKenneka Jenkins, the 19-year-old woman who died in an Illinois hotel freezer in 2017, has agreed to a $10 million legal settlement.

Jenkins was found dead inside the walk-in freezer of the Crowne Plaza Chicago-O’Hare Hotel in September 2017, a day after attending a party there, PEOPLE previously reported.

Her body was not found for more than 21 hours, theAssociated Pressand theSun-Timesreported.

The AP reported that the December 2018 suit alleged the defendants were negligent because they didn’t conduct a valid search or secure the freezer following her initial disappearance.

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After attending a party at the hotel, her friends told Martin that her daughter was missing around 4 a.m., according to the AP. But per the lawsuit, that surveillance footage allegedly wasn’t reviewed until police arrived at the hotel.

The lawsuit also claimed that if hotel staff had monitored the security cameras, Jenkins' life would have been “saved,” according to theSun-Times.

Now, five years later, the settlement agreement was released Tuesday just as a lawsuit was set to go to trial, according to the paper. CNN reported that none of the defendants admitted to any wrongdoing.

According to theSun-Times,Martin will now receive about $3.7 million, while other family members will get $1.5 million and $1.2 million. The settlement also includes about $3.5 million for attorney fees and over $6,000 for the 19-year-old’s funeral.

source: people.com