An 8-year-old Missouri girl who died after the plane she was on made an emergency landing in Peoria had several infections that led to her death, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood.
Sydney Weston, of Carl Junction, Mo., was traveling with family for a vacation on the morning of June 13 when she became ill. The plane made an emergency landing at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport and Weston was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
On Friday, Harwood announced the cause of death was “exclusively determined” to be from complications of chronic primary adrenalitis in the setting of multiple infections including strep and enterovirus.
“Infections can be associated with precipitating an acute adrenal insufficiency crisis in the presence of chronic adrenal disease,” Harwood said in a social media post.
The coroner also said Weston had an inflammation of the small intestine and thyroid gland inflammation that suggested an underlying autoimmune disorder.
“An autoimmune disorder is when your immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy cells of your organs and tissues, disrupting their normal operating function,” Harwood said.
The day after the incident, Harwood announced that a preliminary autopsy was inconclusive, but there was no evidence of abuse, neglect or foul play.
His announcement Friday said the final determination came after a review of medical records, consideration of the circumstances, and a complete autopsy with “extensive ancillary studies.”
