Jenkins, from the West Side of Chicago, was found in the freezer early Sunday morning after disappearing from a party in a room at the hotel. Police have said they are treating the case as a death investigation, not a homicide probe.
Her death has become the focus of fevered online conjecture, with thousands of people using Facebook videos evidently taken at the hotel room party to spin theories about what happened. Many contend Jenkins was murdered.
On Thursday, a Chicago community activist tried to put an end to the speculation, saying he watched the surveillance video and it showed Jenkins entering the freezer alone.
After the family released its statement Friday, activist Andrew Holmes said he was sticking to his statements. "My point was — and I'm going to stand by it — I didn't see anyone downstairs behind her," he said. "I didn't see anyone in front of her. I didn't see anyone trying to force her back there. That's my point and I'll stick to it."