KIANA RUDESILL - 4 yo - Cullom (Central state) IL

Authorities continue to investigate the death of a four year old girl
from Cullom. An autopsy indicates Kiana Rudesill died from head
injuries. The foster child is a suspected victim of child abuse. She was
taken to a Pontiac hospital on Tuesday, after suffering from seizure
like activity. She was then transferred to OSF St. Francis Medical
Center in Peoria, where she was pronounced dead on Thursday.

Cullom foster parents under investigation in girl's death

CULLOM — Livingston County authorities and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services are investigating the death of a 4-year-old girl who was in state-licensed foster care in Cullom.
Kianna Rudesill died Thursday at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria, after being flown by helicopter Tuesday from OSF Saint James-John W. Albrecht Medical Center, Pontiac, said Kendall Marlowe, DCFS spokesman.
DCFS is investigating allegations of abuse and neglect by the foster mother and neglect by the foster father, Marlowe said, adding the child suffered “severe physical abuse.”
Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll could not be reached late Thursday afternoon.
The child, whose biological mother is from Bloomington, and her three siblings were placed in the foster home in August, Marlowe said. The foster parents were licensed and had not previously been investigated by DCFS, he said.
McLean County court records show the biological mother was sentenced to 18 months’ conditional discharge in September for two counts of child endangerment.
“The children were removed from their biological mother due to a situation of neglect and domestic violence by the mother’s paramour,” Marlowe said.
Marlowe said Rudesill’s siblings and the foster parents’ two biological children have been removed from the Cullom home and placed in other foster homes.
In a statement released late Thursday, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the death in conjunction with the state’s attorney’s office.


Read more: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/9b07f942-776d-11e0-8328-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1RS9ljvfY

Illinois foster child's death ruled homicide

Published 02:15 p.m., Wednesday, August 24, 2011PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A coroner's jury in Peoria County has ruled that the May
death of a 4-year-old girl who had been living in a foster home was
a homicide.
Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said Tuesday that Kianna Rudesill
was living in a foster home in Cullom in rural eastern Illinois on May 3
when she suffered numerous injuries to her head, back, arms and legs.
The girl was taken to a Peoria hospital where she died the next day.
The Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington (http://bit.ly/pSC66L ) reported
that a pathologist found that Kianna couldn't have suffered such a range
of injuries on her own.
Family members such as Kianna's mother, Tawnee Jones, want to know why no one has been arrested.
Livingston County Sheriff's Detective Doug Bunting said an investigation is ongoing.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Illinois-foster-child-s-death-ruled-homicide-2139359.php