An 8-year-old girl has died after a medical emergency forced her flight to land in Peoria.
The commercial flight was headed from Joplin, Mo. to Chicago when it landed at the Peoria International Airport around 7 a.m. Thursday, Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood says Sydney Weston, 8, of Carl Junction, Missouri was traveling on vacation with her family when she became suddenly ill on the flight.
Harwood says flight personnel started providing aid, the child was not breathing and had no pulse upon landing in Peoria.
The child was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, where she was pronounced dead.
Harwood said preliminary autopsy results are inconclusive, but there are no signs of foul play, abuse, or neglect.
"Please keep the child's family and everyone who was involved in this traumatic experience in your thoughts and prayers," Watkins said.
