March 28, 2024
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Dixon woman indicted on child endangerment charges in teen's death

DIXON – A 49-year-old Dixon woman was indicted with endangering the life of a child stemming from an incident that led to the death of a 16-year-old, police said Tuesday.

A Lee County grand jury issued an indictment for Kelli Riggen, 49, of Dixon, on two felony and two misdemeanor charges of endangering the life or health of a child, as well as charges of felony and misdemeanor reckless conduct.

On May 22, Dixon police responded to 514 W. Sixth St. after receiving a 911 call from Riggen, who reported that there was a subject at her residence who was not breathing, according to a news release.

Officers and Dixon City Fire personnel responded and found an unresponsive teenage boy, who was transported to KSB Hospital and then transferred to Mercy in Rockford.

He died at Mercy and police conducted an investigation surrounding the circumstances of his death.

"The investigation showed that he had been left outside, unattended, while intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness," the release said.

The results of that investigation were turned over to Lee County State’s Attorney Charlie Boonstra, who took the evidence in the case before a grand jury on Oct. 16.

The grand jury issued an indictment for the charges, and Riggen was processed by police Tuesday.

The felony endangerment charges carry a sentence of two to 10 years in prison, felony reckless conduct of one to three years, and the misdemeanor charges up to a year.