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On July 28, 2024, 18-year-old Jackson Kradle was found deceased along the side of the road on Illinois Route 78, north of Mount Carroll. Now, three months after the incident, his family is still searching for answers about what happened and how the investigation is being handled.
At about 3:30am on July 28, two unnamed employees from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office — an off-duty deputy and a dispatcher who is also a paramedic — contacted the non-emergency line to report the discovery of a body. The phone call recordings have since been released. According to what the employee said on the call, they just stumbled upon the body on the way home and immediately called. The body wasn’t cold yet and when the dispatcher asked whether they would be performing CPR, the caller said blood and brain matter were coming out of the victim’s ear.
The deceased was later identified as Jackson Kradle, and according to the Carroll County coroner, his cause of death was blunt trauma to the head caused by a motor-vehicle pedestrian crash, but the manner of death is yet to be determined. Sheriff Ryan Kloepping from the Carrol County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was transferred to the Illinois State Police due to a conflict of interest, as the two people who discovered Jackson’s body were sheriff’s office employees.
According to Jackson’s aunt, Cindy Sisler, the young man was at her home on the night of July 27 to celebrate her retirement. Cindy was also an employee of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office for 27 years.
The sheriff’s statement about the investigation
Illinois State Police Special Agent Matt Kipping released an update in Aug. that said they have already identified a person of interest in the case, but no other details were provided. On Nov. 7, Sheriff Kloepping released a written statement about the details of the case and what happened in the days after.
On July 29, a day after Jackson was found, the sheriff’s office had a meeting with the two employees who found the body. Per the statement, they were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. The two employees were also scheduled for interrogation on July 31, giving them sufficient time to arrange for legal representation if they so chose, as is their right under the guidelines of the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council.
However, on the morning of the supposed day of their interrogation, the two employees resigned from their positions before the interrogation began. Now, those who are following the case are questioning the reasons behind the sudden resignations. Kradle’s father, Joshua Sisler, was devastated at the employees’ actions after finding his son’s body, especially after hearing the calls.
“I’m shocked they didn’t call 911, I’m shocked an ambulance wasn’t called. I mean, if they just rolled up on there and he’s still warm, why wouldn’t you at least try to get him help?” Jackson’s mother, Diana Kradle, said she was appalled, adding, “I just have no words for how unprofessional [it was] that all went down, not getting him any help.” To date, the investigation is still ongoing, with an inquest scheduled for Dec. 13 to examine the circumstances of Jackson’s death and to determine whether it was intentional or accidental.