Moline man sentenced in connection with stepson’s death
A 35-year-old Moline man was sentenced Thursday to two years conditional discharge in connection with the death of his 15-year-old stepson who had disabilities, court records show.
Court records say Justin Keim pleaded guilty to an amended felony count of child endangerment in Rock Island County Court.
The 2020 incident
On Nov. 3, 2020, a hospital contacted Moline Police after 15-year-old boy who was severely disabled was transported to the hospital for emergency care by Moline firefighters from the family home in the 1600 block of 25th Avenue, according to police and court records.
Hospital staff found the child to be “extremely dehydrated and emaciated, with severe open wounds that had not been properly treated.” The child went into cardiopulmonary arrest and later was pronounced deceased at the hospital, a news release said.
The Rock Island County Coroner’s Office, the Moline Police Department and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services began an investigation that included numerous interviews, consultations with medical professionals and an in-depth examination of the child’s medical records and past medical treatment, according to a news release.
The inquiries revealed a “consistent pattern of medical and physical neglect, which led to the child’s death,” the release said. The autopsy ruled the child’s manner of death to be complications from chronic malnutrition and dehydration because of underlying physical neglect.
Earlier, the child’s mother, Jennifer Keim, 37, was sentenced to four years of probation in connection with the death, along with 180 days in the Rock Island County Jail with credit for time served.
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