On Monday, police rushed to an icy Missouri pond to save an infant floating in murky waters after her father allegedly tried to drown her and then turned himself in to authorities.
Jonathon Zicarelli, 28, reportedly left his daughter floating in freezing water because of holiday stress in an effort to make things easier for his wife, according to charging documents.
According to the Kansas City Star, Zicarelli walked into the Greenwood Police Department and told officers he had just killed his 6-month-old baby girl. Greenwood police Lt. Aaron Fordham said:
“There was no emotion whatsoever.”
At that point, authorities were forced to act hastily in order to save the infant.
Within minutes, officers found the girl face-up and in a state of shock before she was removed from a suburban retention pond about 20 miles outside of Kansas City.
Police Cpl. Tom Calhoun revived the lifeless child through CPR. She had been in the water for more than 10 minutes before he cleared her lungs of water and got her breathing again.
The baby was covered in mud, and there was grass in her mouth. Fordham called her survival:
“A miracle.”
He said:
“There was absolutely someone watching over that child today.”
The baby was brought to a local hospital to be treated for severe hypothermia, and her father was arrested and charged late afternoon.
According to KCTV5, Zicarelli came up with a plan to drown his daughter nearly 24 hours earlier and had walked back and forth between his parked car and the pond three times before putting her in the water to sink before leaving.
Allegedly, he told investigators he was “stressed” out by the holidays and trying to provide for his family.
Pediatrician Dr. Steve Lauer told KMBC that families that are struggling or depressed by a fussy infant on top of “any outside stresses” should seek help immediately.
Fordham agreed with Dr. Lauer’s advice and said:
“If anyone is in a crisis state or something like that, I would certainly advise that they would seek out help, and there’s a lot of resources out there.”
The 28-year-old was charged with domestic assault and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
According to UNICEF‘s report, violence against children occurs every day because an upset parent fails to maintain their composure and nurture a screaming or unruly child.