WALLINGFORD, CT — Connecticut State Police have detailed its response to a missing person case in which the body of a 17-year-old Wallingford resident was found in a wooded area 20 days after a Silver Alert was issued, and near where he was accused of fleeing a crash scene that involved a stolen car.
Hearst Connecticut Media reported this week that the body of 17-year-old Khasir Jennette was found on Feb. 21, about 2 miles from where a crash occurred Feb. 1 on Route 15 that involved a stolen Acura RDX.
Details on Jennette’s case emerged in an arrest warrant in connection with the recent arrest of 20-year-old Hamden resident Khalil Council and an armed carjacking that took place in North Haven several hours before the Route 15 crash, according to Hearst Connecticut Media.
Hearst Connecticut Media reported that the state medical examiner’s office ruled that Jennette died of accidental hypothermia after prolonged environmental exposure.
In response to questions that have arisen since the Hearst report, Connecticut State Police outlined its response to the crash and missing person case.
“We extend our condolences to the family of Khasir Jennette,” police wrote in a statement. “The Connecticut State Police is committed to the search of all missing persons in the State of Connecticut, and we are saddened when the outcome is tragic for those involved.”
Police said that state troopers responded around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 1 to a report of a multi-car crash with a vehicle still in the lane on Route 15 North near Exit 58A in Wallingford.
“The weather conditions on this date and time consisted of approximately 12 – 16 inches of estimated snow on ground,” police wrote. “The highway was free of snow or ice. The Quinnipiac River was not fully frozen and had water flowing under breakable ice. The temperature in the overnight hours was approximately -3 degrees F.”
Troopers found three vehicles, including a Black Acura RDX with a Rhode Island registration that was stopped partially in the left lane with both front driver and passenger doors open, according to police.
“The driver side curtain airbags of the Acura were deployed, and it was unoccupied,” police wrote. “Several cell phones were located inside the Acura. The operator and potential passenger(s) of the black Acura were determined to have fled the scene on foot. Operators of the other involved vehicles could not provide a description of the occupants of the Acura and did not see anyone near or around the vehicle. It was unknown at that time how many occupants were in the Acura at the time of the collision.”
Police said an inquiry into the Rhode Island registration plate didn’t find any results, but a search of the Acura’s vehicle identification number found that it was reported stolen out of Hamden.
The Acura, which had a Connecticut registration, had also been involved with an armed carjacking that happened in North Haven around 5 p.m. on Feb. 1, according to police.
K-9s were called to the scene to track the area of the Quinnipiac River near the area of the abandoned motor vehicle on Route 15, according to police. The track began at 10:38 p.m. and included the area of the Quinnipiac River, Oliver Creek Road, Pent Road, and South Cherry Street in Wallingford, which police said yielded negative results. Wallingford police assisted with the K-9 track.
At around 11:05 p.m. on Feb. 1, a vehicle approached the crash scene and a woman said she believed her godson “Nasir” may have been involved in a crash, according to police.
Police said when troopers tried to gather more information, including the name, date of birth, and description of her godson, the woman drove away from the scene at a high rate of speed and declined to answer any questions.
At 1:34 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, police said dispatch received a call from Jennette’s mother, Kendra Jennette, saying that she believed her son, Khasir Jennette, was involved in an accident on Route 15 and was in the woods with his friends freezing.
Kendra Jennette had not seen Khasir since Jan. 31, and provided police with a description of her son and the clothes she believed he may be wearing. She said she received a phone call from another mother, Stacy, who had received a call from her son in the woods, according to police.
Police said Kendra Jennette did not know Stacy’s last name or the name of her son.
State police then issued a Silver Alert for Khasir Jennette.
A command post was established at the Wallingford Animal Control Office and “all available Troop I personnel were dispatched to the call,” according to police.
Police said the Wallingford Police Department and Wallingford Fire Department were dispatched to the command post and provided Jennette’s information.
Additional resources were requested and deployed for the search for Khasir Jennette, according to police, including: CSP Air 1 Unit, CSP Drone Unit, CSP Search and Rescue K9 Units, CSP Troop I K9 Units, CSP Troop I Patrol Units, Troop G K9 Units, Troop G Patrol Units, CSP Troop H Patrol Units, CSP Troop H K9 Units (Patrol and Bloodhound K9), EMS Services, Wallingford Fire Department Thermal Imaging, Wallingford Police Department Patrol Units, CSP Central District Major Crimes (CDMC), CSP Intelligence and Operations Unit (IOU), CSP Collision, and Analysis and Reconstruction Squad.
“These resources were deployed during the midnight hours of Sunday night into Monday morning and then returned for additional searches of the area in the days following the motor vehicle collision,” police wrote. “Tracks were conducted that lead through extreme conditions including frozen waterways, embankments, wooden unlighted terrain, brush, sticks - prickers, and into the Amazon property campus locations with huge solar farms. Areas searched included the Quinnipiac riverbanks, South Cherry Street, Route 5, Exit 58 On/Off Ramps, Amazon warehouse campus. At this time, it was still unknown how many occupants were in the Acura at the time of the collision.”
On Monday, February 2, at 5:26 a.m., police said Kendra Jennette arrived at the scene and provided a sworn written statement to troopers. She indicated that she last saw her son on Jan. 31 at her home. She said that she tried texting him at 9:36 a.m. on Feb. 1, which Khasir read but did not respond to.
“She also indicated that Khasir’s phone did not have cellular service, and he only connected via wi-fi when it was available,” police wrote.
On Monday, Feb. 2, at 7:58 a.m., through a neighborhood canvas of the area, police said troopers obtained surveillance footage revealing a man wearing a black hoodie with red writing and gray hood get into the back seat of a Silver Toyota Camry on Ball Street and South Cherry Street.
On Monday, Feb. 2, at 3:24 pm, police said detectives from Central District Major Crime and Wallingford Animal Control conducted a canvas of several businesses in the area of Pent Road and South Cherry Street in Wallingford to locate and review surveillance footage.
“Wallingford Animal Shelter provided surveillance footage which yielded negative results,” police wrote. “BYK USA Inc provided surveillance footage which showed an individual get into a Silver Toyota Camry, later identified by CDMC Detectives as an Uber ride share.
“Executive Dodge Jeep Ram provided surveillance footage which captured the silver Toyota Camry leave the area and head south on South Colony Street (Route 5).”
On Monday, Feb. 2, at 3:37 p.m., police said CSP Aviation Unit completed an additional aerial sweep of the area in an effort to locate Jennette.
“In the days following the collision, CDMC Detectives pursued several leads on the potential whereabouts of Khasir, including emergency disclosure requests from Uber,” police wrote. “Uber provided a list of completed Uber rides in the area of the Wallingford Amazon warehouse in the overnight hours of Sunday, February 1 – Monday, February 2, 2026. Statements were taken from the Uber drivers who could not provide names of the Uber riders. At that time, Detectives were unable to determine the identity of any additional passengers from the motor vehicle collision and if the Uber riders were involved in the collision. Additionally, the Connecticut State Police Intelligence and Operations Unit was contacted for assistance on the search for Khasir with negative results.”
On Feb. 21, at 9:15 a.m., police said Jennette’s body was found by a Wallingford resident walking their dog along the banks of the Quinnipiac River near the Wallingford Compost Center on John Street.
“The resident contacted 911 immediately and Wallingford Police Department and EMS responded to the scene,” police wrote. “Wallingford Police personnel on scene alerted their dispatch that the body located on scene was potentially Khasir. CDMC Detectives responded to the scene and noted that the clothing on Khasir matched the description of what his mother, Kendra Jennette, believed he had been wearing last. Additionally, CDMC Detectives believed the body matched a photograph of Khasir that Kendra Jennette had previously provided CDMC Detectives investigating the case. The body had notable scarring on his left leg, which Detectives knew to match an injury Khasir had received from a gunshot wound to his left leg in December 2025.”
Police said Jennette’s body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy, and Kendra Jennette was contacted for next of kin notification at 5 p.m. that day.
“The Connecticut State Police Collision, Analysis and Reconstruction Squad responded to the scene to assist with investigative mapping,” police wrote. “No press release was completed by any law enforcement agency upon the discovery of Khasir Jennette’s body pm on February 21, 2026, as it is standard operating procedure that press releases are not completed by police departments following unattended death investigations. Furthermore, press releases are not issued for juvenile deaths as a standard communications protocol. We, at the Connecticut State Police, respect the protections guarded for the identities of juveniles involved in our investigations.
“We are saddened by the death of Khasir Jennette that occurred in spite of the dozens of police, fire and EMS personnel that worked this case in the hours and days following the motor vehicle collision on Sunday, February 1, 2026, in an effort to find Khasir.”
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