Illinois
6-year-old Illinois boy dies of balloon-related suffocation, officials announce
A 6-year-old boy died due to balloon-related suffocation last month in Mt. Carmel, according to preliminary findings from the Wabash County Coroner’s Office.
County Coroner Shaun Keepes responded to “the tragic accidental death of a juvenile” at a Mt. Carmel residence May 29, according to the report.
An autopsy conducted the next day in Springfield found the cause of death to be suffocation due to a Mylar-helium filled balloon. Officials announced his cause of death Wednesday.
The boy, identified by his family as Gunner Hyatt, was described as the “craziest, most loving little boy,” on a GoFundMe created to support his family. The fundraiser, created last week, has garnered over $20,000.
The coroner’s report, published on Facebook, noted the potential danger of large Mylar balloons. The balloons are commonly used decorations known for their shiny appearance. They’re made from plastic and often coated by a thin layer of metal.
“While often seen as harmless decorations, these balloons can pose serious risks — particularly to young children — including the rare but devastating possibility of suffocation and/or helium toxicity,” the coroner’s office said.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported six balloon-related deaths in children 12-years-old and younger between 2020 and 2023.
An investigation involving the Mount Carmel Police Department and the Illinois State Police Child Death Task Force is ongoing. Additional testing and toxicology will be done before determining the final cause of death, according to the coroner’s office.
No further information was released.
CENTRALIA, Ill. – An investigation is underway after multiple people were shot Sunday in Centralia, Illinois, according to a report from WFCN News in southern Illinois.
FOX 2 has confirmed the Illinois State Police is investigating a shooting and taking over the investigation, but ISP could not confirm many further details as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
“The investigation is in its infancy and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional details will be released at this time,” ISP said in a statement to FOX 2.
According to WFCN News, the shooting happened around 5 p.m. near the 900 block of East Kell Street in Centralia. Multiple law enforcement agencies have since responded to scene and multiple victims are hospitalized, according to the report.
It’s unclear how many people may have been injured and what led up to the shooting.
Centralia, Illinois is about 70 miles, or just over an hour, east of St. Louis.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
The National Weather Service has teams of storm surveryors in the field April 18 investigating several reports of severe storms and tornado touch downs across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and northeast Missouri.
According to the weather service’s website, windgusts of up to 60 to 70 mph along with teacup-sized hail and several tornadoes were reported April 17.
Many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees were uprooted and power lines were downed in Lena, Illinois, where the most significant damage occurred, the site pointed out.
Very strong winds also were reported near Washington, Iowa, and Colmar, Illinois, where several outbuildings and grain bins were destroyed.
The weather service received reports of confirmed and possible tornadoes in the areas of Lena, Pecatonica, Shirland, Rockton, Roscoe and Capron.
The teams will be assessing damage this weekend into next week along with county emergency management teams to determine what types of storms occurred and their paths.
Dozens of power outages were reported, as well.
As of the afternoon of April 18, ComEd was reporting 85 active power outages across northern Illinois, down from 241 on April 17, and 6,751 customers affected, down from more than 18,000.
The bulk of those outages and the most customers impacted are concentrated in Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
Freeze Watch
from MON 12:00 AM CDT until MON 9:00 AM CDT, Lake County, Kankakee County, La Salle County, DuPage County, Northern Will County, DeKalb County, Southern Will County, Kendall County, Southern Cook County, Northern Cook County, Grundy County, Eastern Will County, Kane County, McHenry County, Lake County, Newton County, Jasper County, Porter County
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