SYCAMORE – State Representative Jeff Keicher of Sycamore led the effort to honor fallen DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Christina Musil after a resolution to rename part of Illinois Route 23 advanced in the Illinois House last month. Senate Joint Resolution 35 designated the stretch of Route 23 from Perry Road to McGirr Road as the Deputy Sheriff Christina Musil Memorial Highway, recognizing her service and sacrifice.
“ I am sadly here today to present Senate Joint Resolution thirty-five that recognizes the passing of Deputy Christina Musil, a member of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on March 29th, 2024 survived by her three children, many heartbroken neighbors and members of our county,” Keicher said last month.
The 35-year-old was killed when her parked squad car was rear-ended by a commercial truck near Waterman. Authorities said the driver, Nathan Sweeney, was under the influence of fentanyl at the time of the crash.
“ What this resolution seeks to do is name and designate the part of Illinois State Route twenty-three from Perry Road to McGirr Road as the Deputy Sheriff Christina Mussell Memorial Highway,” noted Keicher in a session in Springfield.
Sweeney pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years in prison in August 2025. A five-year veteran of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Musil also served as a military police officer in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009. She was survived by her three children and her parents. The resolution, which was carried in the Senate by State Senator Sue Rezin, passed the House Transportation: Regulation, Roads & Bridges committee unanimously on May 5, 2026.