By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – Normal Police confirmed Monday night the department is investigating the death last month of a young girl.
The child, 8, was a third-grader at Unit 5’s Prairieland Elementary School in Normal, according to an email sent to Prairieland families.
Police are not identifying the child or circumstances surrounding her death. The girl was initially taken to a Twin-Cities hospital the night of January 25th, and was pronounced dead the next morning after she was transported to Peoria’s OSF St. Francis Medical Center.
Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said Monday the McLean and Peoria County coroners and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are aiding the investigation.
“We had quite a bit of cooperation from all the agencies we’re working with. It’s a very complex investigation. It’s still open, we’re in the middle of it, and there’s not a whole lot else that I can share at this point,” said Bleichner.
The chief did not indicate when the investigation might be complete.
“We don’t want to make any judgments until we have all the information,” said Bleichner.
“It wouldn’t be fair to the young little girl or any of her family,” the chief said.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
