Pekin woman accused of pressing blanket against 10-month-old's face, killing child

A Pekin woman has been charged with first-degree murder for the death of a 10-month-old child in her care at a Pekin apartment in June.

Makenna Rhodes, 21, was arrested Thursday, according to the Pekin Police Department , who concluded a three-week death investigation that included help from pediatric injury experts.

The child, whom Rhodes was babysitting, was found not breathing in a residence on the 1200 block of Florence Avenue in Pekin on June 26 and was soon after pronounced dead at a local hospital.

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Rhodes was officially charged with first-degree murder Friday, with court documents indicating that Rhodes told police officers that she was "overwhelmed" on the day of the child's death and got angry with her after the child couldn't stop crying. On four separate occasions, Rhodes tried to get the child to sleep, but wasn't successful.

In an attempt to quiet her, she told police that she placed a small security blanket — called a "lovey" — against the child's face before pushing a pacifier into her mouth. The child soon stopped resisting and Rhodes admitted to detectives that her frustration may have forced her to be more forceful than she would have liked.

Later that day, police were called to the apartment on a report of an unresponsive 10-month-old child. The child was soon sent to Carle Health Pekin Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

The Tazewell County Coroner's Office conducted an autopsy which revealed that the child died due to asphyxiation, while pediatric physicians specializing in child abuse said abrasions and injuries found in the upper lip and mouth were consistent with pressure being applied to the face, similar to what Rhodes is alleged to have inflicted on the child.

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Rhodes made an initial appearance in court Friday from the Tazewell County Jail, with the Tazewell County State's Attorney's Office requesting that she be held pending trial. The hearing in this case has been continued until 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, as Rhodes' defense attorneys had not received all of the discovery provided by the State's Attorney's Office.

An arraignment in the case has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Tazewell County Courthouse in Pekin.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Pekin woman accused of pressing blanket against 10-month-old's face, killing child