Deceased Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Investigation Continues For Missing 7MO Infant

[Sugar Cookie]

A woman has been arrested for two counts of child endangerment as the investigation continues into a still-missing 7-month old infant.

Kimberlee A. Burton, 29, of Bloomington was already in the McLean County Jail after being arrested for retail theft.

After that arrest, the father of two of Burton’s children had his mother come pick up a 5 and 6-year-old - only finding those two children at the residence.

At around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Bloomington Police received a call requesting a well-being check on an infant who was also living with Burton.

According to a release, officers learned that the father of the infant, Zaraz V. Walker, may have lived in Illinois or Florida. Officers began calling different areas and police departments where the father may be contacted with negative results.

At around 7 a.m. Monday, officers began a neighborhood canvas and searched the surrounding areas for any evidence of the infant - continuing throughout the day and night.

Burton was arrested around 5 p.m. for child endangerment for the 5 and 6-year-old who were left at her residence without supervision after her initial arrest.

Police are asking anyone who has had any recent contact with Kimberlee Burton or Zaraz Walker to contact the Bloomington Police Department.

Zaraz Walker is still considered missing/endangered.

Woman arrested as investigation continues into missing infant

Burton was arrested around 5 p.m. for felony child endangerment for the 5 and 6-year-old who were left at her residence without supervision after her arrested.

www.hoiabc.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

Authorities believe a 7-month-old girl who’s been missing for weeks is dead.

Kimberlee Burton, 29, of Bloomington, is being charged with concealment of a death related to her daughter Zaraz V. Walker’s disappearance, WGLT has learned. The McLean County jail, where Burton is being held, confirmed the concealment charge was added to Burton’s criminal case on Wednesday.

She’s expected to appear in court Friday on the new charge, authorities said. Zaraz's body has still not been found.

"Although an arrest has been made in this investigation, our work is not complete," said Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington. "We will continue to investigate all leads in order to locate missing Zaraz and we need your help. We also ask the public to understand our reluctance to share information about the case, as it may interfere with our investigation. When the time is appropriate or it helps us locate Zaraz, we will share more information."

The case began with a retail theft arrest on Feb. 12. Burton was taken into custody at a store on Market Street. Officers say two children ages 5 and 6 were home alone at the time. The children's grandmother picked them up, and later that night someone called and alerted police about a third child who had been living with Burton — the missing 7-month-old girl. Walker was reported missing Feb. 13 in Bloomington.

A search found evidence that the infant had been living in the residence. A neighborhood canvass in the area turned up nothing. She’s been missing ever since.

Bloomington Police spokesperson John Fermon said officers have made several targeted searches for Zaraz in Bloomington-Normal and even Chicago based on tips, even using dogs.

Burton already faced charges of child endangerment, related to the children who were found home alone, police said.

Missing Bloomington baby's mother to be charged with concealment of a death

Kimberlee Burton, 29, of Bloomington, will be charged with concealment of a death related to her daughter Zaraz V. Walker’s disappearance, WGLT has learned.

www.wglt.org

 

[Sevens My Charm]

The infant was then identified as Zaraz V. Walker. Officers learned that the father of Zaraz may have lived in Illinois or Florida.

They began calling different areas and police department's where the father may be, but could not locate him.

After her arrest, Rigdon said the children called their father, saying that “Mom is gone.”

During the pick-up, the grandmother noted the state of the home. She said the door was unlocked, and the house was both dirty and cold.

She also noticed the two children were the only ones in the home, and both were hungry and not wearing underwear.

Rigdon said it appeared the children had been left alone for hours.

Burton had told police that she has no children, and Rigdon had concerns that she may have mental health issues.

Bloomington mom arrested for concealing death

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — Already in the McLean County Jail for other offenses, a Bloomington mom has now been arrested for concealment of death. Kimberlee Burton was arrested as a result of…

www.centralillinoisproud.com

Police: Missing Bloomington baby presumed dead

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WAND) - A Bloomington baby who is missing is now presumed dead, police say.

www.wandtv.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A Bloomington woman who is charged with concealing her 8-month-old baby's death had been investigated multiple times by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, the agency confirmed Monday.

Kimberlee A. Burton, who is charged with concealing the death of her daughter, Zaraz Walker, was the subject of three DCFS investigations before the baby disappeared, DCFS spokesman Bill McCaffrey said. Two reports made to the agency in September 2020 and July 2021 were determined to be unfounded, he said.

A May 2021 investigation of abuse against her then-10-year-old daughter was concluded last month after Walker was reported missing. That report found evidence of the abuse claim, but Burton was not ordered by DCFS to lose custody of her now-11-year-old daughter. The 11-year-old daughter, however, is now living with her biological father.

The DCFS spokesman said that if Burton had lost custody of her 11-year-old daughter as a result of the investigation, she also would have lost custody of her other children.
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/c...cle_3c03e131-b0a6-5447-b6d0-6eb49b4a7b97.html

Walker was reported missing Feb. 13 after the grandmother of Burton’s two other children — ages 5 and 6 — didn’t locate the baby while picking up the children from Burton’s home on East Wood Street in Bloomington. The grandmother had driven from the Chicago area to pick up the children because Burton was jailed the day before on retail theft charges.

Prosecutors also have said Burton told a family member during a jail visit that Walker died while falling asleep between her legs, and that she placed Walker in a cemetery near her home.

One of the previous DCFS investigations took place after Burton gave birth to Walker, McCaffrey said. A “risk of harm” was reported in July 2021 by medical staff who said Burton was “behaving erratically.”

DCFS contacted Burton immediately after the report and found that she was not acting erratically. Burton had a follow-up interview with DCFS and the agency closed the report, determining it was unfounded.

Burton’s first involvement with DCFS came in September 2020 when the department received a report of abandonment.

McCaffrey said DCFS was notified that Burton left her children with a family member and had not returned, but the agency later located Burton and her children, and that report was unfounded.
Burton remains jailed in lieu of posting $25,035 on the concealment of death charges. She is due back in court March 18 for an arraignment.
The Pantagraph has filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking any records related to Burton's involvement with DCFS.

DCFS: Bloomington mother could not be found before baby's disappearance

“Despite numerous attempts and working extensively with other family members, law enforcement, housing authorities and others, the department was unable to locate the mother or Zaraz after the meeting at

pantagraph.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

A Bloomington mother charged with concealing the death of her 7-month-old daughter, Zaraz Walker, has been deemed unfit to stand trial.

The judge agreed with a fitness evaluation, saying Kimberly Burton could be ruled fit to stand trial less than a year for now.

Burton has been remanded to the custody of the Department of Human Services.

According to DCFS, this is not the first time she has been accused of endangering the life of her children.

McLean County mother deemed unfit to stand trial

According to DCFS, this is not the first time she has been accused of endangering the life of her children.

www.week.com

 

[Sugar Cookie]

The mother charged with concealment of her baby's death has been found not guilty by reason of insanity according to WEEK.

Infant, Zaraz Walker was initially discovered to be missingin February 2022 when Bloomington PD received a call requesting a wellness check. Police initiated a neighborhood canvas and attempted to locate the father. Zaraz has never been found and is presumed dead.

In March, the mother of Zaraz, Kimberlee Burton, was deemed unfit to stand trial after a fitness evaluation.

Burton was acquitted by reason of insanity by McLean County Judge Casey Costigan. Under Illinois law, a person can be found not guilty by reason of insanity if they lack "substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality" of their conduct. Two psychiatrists agreed that Burton has a schizophrenic spectrum illness, and one of them said that she also had PTSD.

The Illinois Department of Human Services was ordered to take custody of Burton and make treatment recommendations to the court. DHS in-patient care can last up to six years, which is the same amount of time she might have faced in prison had she been found guilty in the case.

Bloomington mother charged in missing baby case not guilty by reason of insanity

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WAND) — The mother charged with concealment of her baby's death has been found not guilty by reason of insanity according to WEEK.

www.wandtv.com