In a tragic case that shocked the nation, the mother of Kenneka Jenkins, a 19-year-old Chicago teenager who was found dead in a hotel's walk-in freezer in 2017, has agreed to a $10 million settlement this week. The settlement follows a lawsuit filed by Jenkins' mother, Tereasa Martin, against CPO Hospitality LLC, the organization responsible for overseeing the Crowne Plaza Chicago-O'Hare Hotel, and other parties involved.

According to the lawsuit, Jenkins visited the hotel on September 9, 2017, at around 1 a.m. She was last seen by her friends at around 2:30 a.m., leaving a room on the ninth floor after attending a party. When it became apparent that Jenkins was missing, hotel staff assured her mother that they would thoroughly review the security cameras and footage. However, the suit alleges that they failed to do so properly, resulting in the tragic outcome.

Surveillance video footage presented in the lawsuit reveals Jenkins to be visibly disoriented, confused, and lost within the hotel premises before eventually entering an abandoned kitchen where the freezer was located. It is within this freezer that she tragically lost her life to hypothermia. The lawsuit also claims that the hotel failed to adequately secure the freezer and prevent the unlawful party that Jenkins had attended.

The settlement, reached on Tuesday, includes $6,000 for Jenkins' funeral expenses and approximately $3.5 million for lawyers' fees and costs. Neither Jenkins nor CPO Hospitality provided any comments regarding the settlement.

This case drew significant attention from amateur sleuths who meticulously analyzed widely circulated videos from the hotel party, paying particular attention to audio details and Jenkins' appearances in them. Social media users expressed criticism towards the police, accusing them of acting too slowly and suggesting that if Jenkins were white rather than Black, her disappearance would have been investigated more urgently. The police in Rosemont, where the incident occurred, previously stated that they left no stone unturned during their investigation.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Jenkins' cause of death as hypothermia, stating that her death was an accident. They also noted that alcohol and topiramate, a prescription drug used to prevent migraines and control seizures, were significant contributing factors.

In a separate report, it is stated that Jenkins' family has settled a lawsuit against the hotel for $10 million. The settlement order filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County reveals that Jenkins' mother will receive approximately $3.7 million, while other parts of the settlement will cover attorney fees, funeral costs, and additional expenses. Two other family members will receive a combined $2.7 million from the settlement fund.

The medical examiner's ruling in 2017 determined that Jenkins' death resulted from hypothermia and cold exposure in the walk-in freezer, as well as ethanol and topiramate intoxication. It should be noted that Jenkins had not been prescribed the drug, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Additionally, she had blood alcohol levels exceeding the legal driving limit.

Surveillance footage released by authorities in 2017 captured Jenkins staggering through the hotel's hallways before her disappearance. She is seen leaving an elevator alone and visibly impaired after 3 a.m. Shortly after, she enters a kitchen, but the footage does not show her entering the cooler and freezer, where she was tragically found nearly 24 hours later, as no cameras directly monitored those areas.

In addition to the hotel's owners, the lawsuit named the hotel's security contractor and the restaurant responsible for managing the space where Jenkins was found dead. The lawsuit alleges that these parties did not make sufficient efforts to locate Jenkins after she went missing. None of the defendants admitted to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, which was the result of three separate mediations.

At the time of reporting, no comments were received from either the plaintiffs or defendants' attorneys regarding the settlement.