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Community members in Chicago are mourning the loss of Zahrie Walls, a well-known hairstylist and a reported friend of the late Kenneka Jenkins, the 19-year-old woman who died in a hotel freezer in 2017.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the body of the 27-year-old Walls was recovered from Lake Michigan near Navy Pier, off East Grand Avenue, around 5:30 p.m. on June 21. She had reportedly fallen from a boat while out with a group of friends.
Walls was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
Walls’mother said friends tried to save her daughter
The young stylist’s mother, Kizzy Wells, said she has been heartbroken since she learned of her daughter’s passing and is still trying to find out all the details surrounding the incident. The grieving mother told the Chicago Tribune that her daughter—who she described as “hardworking”—decided to go out with friends for an afternoon boating trip on Saturday for some much needed leisure.
“It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Kizzy explained. “She was on a boat and allegedly fell off due to the current. She doesn’t go out much because she works all the time, traveling to different cities. My baby works so hard. She was doing 10 to 12 (hair appointments) a day.”
Kizzy added that her friends tried their best “to save her.”
A heat wave hit Chicago over the weekend
Chicago police are still investigating the incident. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, officials said Walls’ tragic passing occurred during a weekend heat wave that brought sweltering mid-90-degree temperatures to the city, with heat indices exceeding 100°F, as reported by the National Weather Service.
The extreme heat drove many residents to Lake Michigan in search of relief. However, fire department spokesperson Larry Langford explained that the lake’s waters were more dangerous than they appeared.
“You don’t know what the lake has waiting for you. It can look calm, but under the surface by a few feet, it could be churning,” the law official said.
Walls was one of two apparent drowning victims over the weekend. The Chicago Fire Department reported it responded to 90 heat- and water-related emergency calls during that time.
A candlelight vigil was held on Sunday night (June 22) in Walls’ memory, as noted by The Jasmine Brand. Her family is expected to share details about funeral services soon.
Walls was reportedly a friend of Kenneka Jenkins
Adding to the tragedy, it has been reported that Walls was a close friend of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins, whose death in a hotel freezer in 2017 gained national attention and remains widely discussed online.
According to Kizzy, the two girls attended high school together, and Walls honored her late friend with a tribute tattoo.
“Kenneka was her person to try different hairstyles on when she was just learning,” Kizzy toldthe Chicago Tribune. “She never healed (from her death). She has her name tattooed on her upper shoulder.”
Jenkins was found dead in a walk-in freezer at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Ill., on Sept. 10, 2017, a day after attending a party there. The Cook County medical examiner ruled Jenkins’ death accidental, citing hypothermia as the cause, according to The Associated Press. In 2023, her family reached a $10 million settlement in the case.
MadameNoire sends prayer and light to the family of Zahrie Walls during this difficult time.
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