Baby sitter indicted in infant’s death

MORRISON – A Rock Falls woman indicted on five counts of first-degree murder in the death of an 8-month-old infant pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Click here to read the indictment in full.

Patti J. Mock, 62, was indicted Tuesday in the shaking death of Xavier Delgado, of Rock Falls, whom she was baby-sitting. She turned herself in to the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday night and is being held on $1 million bond.

She faces 20 to 60 years in prison on each count. Her pretrial conference is Oct. 27.

The charges come nearly a year after the baby’s death. He was rushed to Rockford Memorial Hospital on Sept. 24 after police and emergency personnel were called to Mock’s home at 1403 Bennett Drive and found the boy unconscious.

He died 5 days later.

According to the indictment, Mock shook Xavier, causing “abusive head trauma” and causing his head to “impact upon an object.”

A Winnebago County coroner’s grand jury ruled the boy’s death a homicide in April, and police named Mock “a person of interest.”

Whiteside County State’s Attorney Gary Spencer was waiting for final medical reports before filing charges; they arrived in August, he said.

“This isn’t like someone being shot or stabbed, when the cause of death is obvious to you or me or a lay person,” Spencer said Wednesday. “We want to be very sure.”

He declined further comment.

Sterling attorney Jim Mertes represents Mock.

“In every case, particularly in a case where there is obviously going to be public attention, it’s important to remind ourselves of the presumption of innocence,” Mertes said.

He, too, declined further comment.

According to the inquest report, Mock told police she had been baby-sitting Xavier for about 3 weeks. On Sept. 24, she fed him, he fell asleep, she put him over her shoulder and patted his back to get him to burp, then he vomited and become unresponsive.

She called the boy’s mother, Melissa Delgado, then 911, the inquest report says.

Xavier’s father, Rudy Delgado, declined to comment Wednesday on the criminal case. He did say his family is focusing on a walk Saturday at Sauk Valley Community College to honor his son, to raise money and to focus awareness on shaken baby syndrome.