Navin Jones' half-brother didn't die of SIDS in 2007, Peoria County coroner now believes

Andy Kravetz, Journal Star
·2 min read
Balloon, stuffed animals, candles and other items form a memorial outside 1717 N. Gale Avenue where Navin Jones lived. The 8-year-old boy was found emaciated with signs of abuse. He died March 29 and his parents are charged in his death.
Balloon, stuffed animals, candles and other items form a memorial outside 1717 N. Gale Avenue where Navin Jones lived. The 8-year-old boy was found emaciated with signs of abuse. He died March 29 and his parents are charged in his death.

PEORIA – While the investigation isn't over into the death of Navin Jones' half-brother 15 years ago, the Peoria County coroner did already determine that the initial ruling wasn't accurate.

Back in 2007, Nigel Ragon's death was deemed to be Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Coroner Jamie Harwood now disagrees, reopening the case in March after Navin Jones was found unresponsive at his home.

"Based on the materials that have been reviewed, we do not believe this to be a SIDS case, rather we believe we can provide a legit cause of death. The manner of death is to be determined," he said in text message Friday.

From 2013 to 2022: A timeline of events leading up to Navin Jones' death

That doesn't mean the baby's death was foul play. Rather, it means there could be accidental circumstances. But, it appears it was not natural, based upon the coroner's statements.

Next week, Harwood is meeting with the Woodford County state's attorney, a Woodford County Sheriff's Office detective, a crime scene investigator from the Illinois State Police and Peoria County's forensic pathologist to determine the next steps.

Woodford County is involved because that's where the 3-month-old Ragon lived.

The baby boy died Jan. 5, 2007, after paramedics found him unresponsive at his Washburn home. The boy was rushed to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where he was pronounced dead at about 10:20 p.m. – about 20 minutes after he arrived.

"We will be reaching out to the father for an interview and doll re-enactment with my office and law enforcement. We will also decide whether we have enough evidence and information to move forward without exhuming the body, or decide if we indeed need to," Harwood said.

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The Peoria County coroner is involved because, while the boy lived in Woodford County, he died in Peoria. When he reopened the case after Navin Jones died, Harwood said he wanted to look further to see if anything was missed.

"I am reopening this case to review it with a different lens, the lens of a nurse death investigator," Harwood said then. "Fifteen years have passed, times have changed, investigative methods have changed, and forensics has advanced."

Jones was found unresponsive at his home on North Gale Avenue on March 29, and died within hours of being taken to the hospital.

His parents are Stephanie Jones and Brandon Walker, both of whom face six counts of murder in Navin's death. The parents' conduct was characterized as "brutal and heinous indicative of wanton cruelty" — legalese that triggers a possible life sentence if the two are convicted of killing Navin.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: SIDS wasn't cause of death for Navin Jones' half-brother, says coroner