Settlement Reached In Rosemont Hotel Freezer Death Case

ROSEMONT, IL — Six years after the tragic death of Kenneka Jenkins inside a walk-in freezer at a Rosemont hotel, a settlement has been reached in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the 19-year-old's mother. As first reported by Chicago Tribune, the settlement was reached in August on behalf of Tereasa Martin, who has requested terms of the agreement be sealed from the public.

A trial had been set to begin on Oct. 16, according to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County case docket.

The body of Jenkins, who died of hypothermia, was found inside a freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel in September 2017. In December 2018, Martin filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million against the hotel, the Murray Bros. Caddyshack restaurant and Rosemont's security contractor, Capital Security and Investigations. The death was ruled accidental by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

RELATED: Kenneka Jenkins' Family Seeks $50M — Rosemont Hotel Freezer Death

Among the claims in the lawsuit was that Capital Security and Investigations failed to put an end to a Sept. 8, 2017, party Jenkins attended, did not quickly review security camera footage, and did not properly search for her when she went missing, despite claims Jenkins passed hotel employees while wandering hotel hallways.

The lawsuit also states the walk-in freezer in which Jenkins' body was found on Sept. 10, 2017, had "a sticker affixed that was completely faded and failed to instruct how to release the lock system of the door."

Cook County court records show a settlement was reached in August, but Chicago Tribune is reporting Martin wants the terms of the agreement sealed from the public. Earlier this week, a Cook County circuit judge denied Martin's request and a status hearing in the case is on the docket for next week.

According to the CCMEO, alcohol and the antiepilepsy medication topiramate also "played significant factors" in Jenkins' death.

As reported by Patch in 2017, here is a timeline of events as provided by police:

• 11:30 p.m. Sept. 8: Jenkins leaves her home on the West Side of Chicago to attend a party at the Rosemont hotel.
• 1:13 a.m. Sept. 9: She arrives at the hotel for the party, which includes close friends and relatives.
• 3:25 a.m.: Hotel security camera footage shows Jenkins exiting a lower-level elevator, and she is last seen on hotel video at 3:32 a.m., walking through a first-floor kitchen.
• 7:14 a.m.: Tereasa Martin calls Rosemont police, saying she can’t find Jenkins.
• 12:46 p.m.: Jenkins’s sister files a missing person report at the Rosemont police station. Police go to the hotel to investigate.
• 8:29 p.m.: Police return to the hotel to continue searching for Jenkins and view security camera video. Searches are done throughout the night.
• 12:25 a.m. Sept. 10: Jenkins’s body is found by a hotel employee, and the teen is pronounced dead at the scene.
• 3:08 a.m.: An investigator from the Cook County medical examiner's office arrives.
• 5:10 a.m.: Martin and Jenkins's sister are allowed to view the teen's body before she's taken from the hotel.

"Our detectives reported no signs of foul play throughout the whole investigation," former Rosemont Police Chief Donald. E. Stephens III said at the time. "There is no evidence that Ms. Jenkins was forced to drink alcohol or consume any narcotics while at the hotel."

RELATED: Kenneka Jenkins Case Closed, Death Was Accidental — Rosemont's Top Cop