STERLING, Ill. — The Carroll County Sheriff's Office has released a statement about its investigation into the death of 18-year-old Jackson T. Kradle, whose body was found along Illinois Route 78 near Mount Carroll in July.
According to the statement, their dispatch center received a non-emergency call from an off-duty employee around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 28 reporting a body in the roadway. A deputy sheriff and dispatcher, both off-duty, were on the scene.
After Kradle's body was identified and informing his mother and father of his death, command staff said they discussed how to proceed with the investigation. As part of this, law enforcement officials decided to interview the two off-duty staff members who reported the incident. Carroll County Sheriff Ryan Kloepping said he called Illinois State Police to request their office take the investigation due to a potential conflict of interest.
Staff met with the two employees who reported Kradle's body on Monday, July 29. Both were placed on administrative leave, informed they were under investigation and told they would be interrogated in 48 hours. According to Kloepping, both employees resigned on Wednesday, July 31, before an internal investigation was completed.
The case is now being reviewed by the Illinois State Police and the Illinois State Appellate Prosecutor's Office. You can find the sheriff's entire statement by clicking here.