Coroner's jury makes rulings

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

PRINCETON — The April 6 death of a rural Tampico boy was ruled accidental Friday by a Bureau County Coroner’s jury.

Brandon Spears, 11, of rural Tampico, was pronounced dead at 4 a.m. April 6 after a fire at his home.

During Friday’s inquest hearing, Linda Hacker, an investigator with the Illinois State Fire Marshall’s office, said the fire at the Spears home appeared to be electrical in nature. Investigators thought the electrical problem was caused by a space heater and extension cord in the master bedroom, Hacker said.

Brandon’s mother and younger brother were at home at the time of the fire and were able to escape. Brandon’s father was at work at the time of the fire.

The autopsy ruled Brandon died of asphyxiation from a residential fire.

The coroner’s jury ruled Brandon’s death as accidental.

Doug Miller

On Friday, the coroner’s jury ruled the April 21 death of Doug Miller, 57, of Princeton, to be suicide.

Investigator Barry Portman, with the Princeton Police Department, testified during the inquest hearing, saying Miller was found in his vehicle in his garage.

The toxicology report showed Miller had a blood alcohol level of .141, which is over the legal limit of .08. Miller’s carbon monoxide level was 56 percent, Coroner Wamhoff said. The lethal level for carbon monoxide poisoning is 40 percent, she said.

The autopsy showed Miller’s death was due to asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jayne Rott

The coroner also ruled the death of Jayne I. Rott, 48, of Granville as suicide.

Investigator Randy Hasbrook, with the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department, testified at Friday’s inquest.

Hasbrook said there were five empty pill bottles in the car when it was found June 11 in Leepertown Township. Two notes, which were not read during the hearing, were also found in the car.

Bureau County Coroner Janice Wamhoff said the prescription medicine found in the car included four antidepressants and one high blood pressure medicine. Rott did not die as a result of the crash, which was thought to have happened six days before the car was found. The car was not visible from the road, Wamhoff said.

The autopsy showed the death was caused by a combined overdose of prescription medicine.

Mary Stevens

The May 6 death of Mary Stevens, 67, of Amboy was ruled accidental.

Stevens was involved in a two-vehicle accident on May 6 at the intersection of 3000 East and 2950 North, about three miles north of LaMoille.

Troy Lane, an accident reconstructionist with the Illinois State Police, testified in the Stevens’ case, saying the Stevens car caught fire as a result of the accident.

Bureau County Coroner Janice Wamhoff pronounced Stevens dead at the scene. The autopsy showed Stevens died as a result of thermal injury from the vehicle accident. No alcohol was found in her system.

Susan O’Hearn

Susan O’Hearn, 37, of Princeton, died following a traffic accident in rural Manlius.

Officer Gary Becket, with the Bureau County Sheriff’s Department, said he was called to the scene about 11 p.m. June 4, on Backbone Road, at the curve by the Manlius Baptist Church.

The O’Hearn vehicle had been split in two after it hit a guard rail. The front of the vehicle landed on its top in nearby bushes. The rear of the car landed upright, also by the bushes. The speed of the vehicle was estimated at 62 to 71 miles per hour coming out of the curve.

Wamhoff pronounced O’Hearn dead at the scene at 12:20 a.m. June 5. Toxicology reports showed O’Hearn’s blood alcohol level to be more than one and one-half times the legal limit.

The autopsy showed O’Hearn died of massive head and chest trauma due to the accident.

The coroner’s jury ruled the death as accidental.

Crystal Thomas

Crystal Thomas, 22, of Princeton, died April 19 at her home.

Investigator Barry Portman, with the Princeton Police Department, testified Thomas was found in her bed. Next to her was partially consumed alcohol and liquid methadone.

The coroner pronounced Thomas dead at the scene. Toxicology reports showed Thomas had enough methadone in her system to not only kill her but also 10 other people, Wamhoff said. Thomas also had four times the legal limit of alcohol in her system, the coroner said.

The autopsy showed Thomas died of the adverse affects of drug abuse.

The coroner’s jury ruled the death to be accidental.

Rosalie Kleckner

Rosalie Kleckner, 58, of Princeton, died May 28 at her home at the Princeton Housing Authority.

Investigator Barry Portman testified at Friday’s inquest, saying he received the call from High Rise administrators who had found Kleckner on the floor in her apartment.

Wamhoff said Kleckner’s daughter said her mother had seizures, which was consistent with Kleckner’s injuries.

The autopsy determined Kleckner’s death to be from blunt trauma to the head.

The coroner’s jury ruled the death to be accidental.