OREGON – Ogle County State’s Attorney Mike Rock announced that Sarah Safranek pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 35 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. The sentence must be served in full and will be followed by three years of mandatory supervised release. The Oregon Police Department led the investigation, and Rock prosecuted the case along with Assistant State’s Attorneys Matthew Leisten and Melissa Voss. The plea agreement was reached in consultation with the victim’s family.
Authorities said the 38-year-old suffocated her 7-year-old son, Nataniel Burton, to death in 2021. The case had been delayed by multiple court rulings and appeals. Rock’s office previously appealed a Fourth District Court decision that excluded what he described as key evidence, including statements Burton allegedly made to family members and internet searches tied to the case. Safranek had withdrawn an earlier guilty plea ahead of a planned 2024 sentencing.