Man charged in 16-month-old boy’s death in central Illinois

An indictment has been handed down in the death of a 16-month-old Peoria boy in October.

Joshua A. Rutledge, 34, of Peoria Heights, is being held on $1 million bond, the Peoria Journal-Star reports.

The Peoria County coroner said the boy died Oct. 18 of blunt-force trauma. Two days earlier, police had been called to Rutledge’s house for a child who was not breathing. Rutledge told police the boy had fallen off the bed and onto a plastic truck. The boy later “got real stiff” and stopped breathing during a bath, Rutledge told police.

The police report says there was no apparent damage to the toy truck, CIProud.com, a local television station, reported.

Rutledge was watching the boy at the time for his girlfriend and is not related to the child.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Man charged in 16-month-old boy’s death in central Illinois."