COLUMBUS, Ind. — The father of a missing two-year-old Columbus girl whose body was found in the East Fork of the White River now faces charges in her death.
Jeremy Sweet, 39, is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and unlawful possession of a syringe, The Republic reported Wednesday.
The body of Sweet’s daughter, Emma, was found in the river Sunday morning.
Sweet and his daughter were reported missing Thursday. Duck hunters found Jeremy Sweet in his submerged pickup truck in the White River on Friday. Sweet was taken to the hospital, treated for hypothermia, and eventually transferred to the Bartholomew County Jail, where he remained Wednesday.
Sweet initially told police he dropped Emma off at Casey’s convenience store. He later told police he had unbuckled Emma from her car seat and placed her on the roof of his truck before losing her.
When interviewed by police at Columbus Regional Hospital, Sweet said he got lost on a dirt road and his truck got stuck. He told police that the truck went over an embankment while he was trying to move it and said again that he had placed Emma on the hood or roof of the truck to avoid the water that was flowing into it. He said he took Emma’s coat off of her because it was wet.
Sweet said he and Emma spent the night on the roof of the truck, and the last time he saw her, she was on top of the truck, yelling for her mom. When he woke up, Emma was gone.
In another interview with investigators on Saturday, Sweet admitted to using drugs before going to a casino near Shelbyville on Wednesday.
He told interviewers that he fell asleep Wednesday night and when he woke up, Emma and her coat were gone. Sweet later told investigators Emma fell into the water with him Thursday morning. He said he fell asleep and when he woke up that evening, Emma and her coat were gone.
Court records say an autopsy could not determine whether Emma’s death was caused by hypothermia or drowning.
