10/23/2026
EDGAR COUNTY CORONER-
FOLLOW UP to September 23, 2026, INFORMATION RELEASE
Edgar County Coroner Scott Barrett has ruled the death of a 23-month-old Paris girl, whose name is being withheld but is referenced in court documents as “Z.B.”, as a homicide.
A call came into the Edgar County 911 Dispatch Center at 6:52 p.m. Monday, September 21.
The caller stated that she was watching the child and that the child had become unresponsive.
The Paris Police Department, Paris Fire Department, and Horizon Health Ambulance all responded to the scene where the child was transported by ambulance to the Emergency Room of Horizon Health Paris Community Hospital. She was pronounced dead at 7:42 p.m.
An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, September 22 in Bloomington, Illinois, by Forensic Pathologist Dr. Scott Denton. Final findings from the autopsy and additional testing were issued on October 22nd and show the cause of death was sepsis due to scalding thermal burns.
The manner of death determination of homicide is for the completion of the death certificate. The decision to pursue criminal charges is the responsibility of the Edgar County State's Attorney’s Office.