A grand jury returned an indictment against Sarah Safranek for First Degree Murder and Aggravated Battery of a Child, Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock announced on May 4.
Safranek, 34, of Oregon, has been charged with killing her 7-year-old son on Feb. 17. She is being held on a $2 million bond at the Ogle County Jail.
She appeared in court at the Ogle County Judicial Center on May 5 for a preliminary hearing.
On Feb. 17, Oregon Police responded to the home at 403 S. 10th St. for a child, Nathaniel Burton, who was not breathing. He was taken to KSD Hospital in Dixon where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy showed that they boy had died as a result of suffocation.
At a press conference announcing the arrest, Rock said that there were three people in the house, including the boy, at the time of the death. But he said at this time, they anticipate that only Safranek will be charged.
If convicted of all charges, she faces up to life in prison.
