A Missouri man is behind bars after he allegedly walked to a police station and confessed he watched his infant daughter sink after trying to drown her on Sunday.
Kansas City Star reports that officers in Greenwood, Missouri, took quick action after 28-year-old Jonathon Zicarelli admitted the baby was in an icy, murky pond off of Doc Henry Road . Authorities found the baby floating on her back and noted she looked like a “porcelain doll” and appeared to be in shock.
Corporal T. Calhoun and Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson helped pull the baby from the pond. Calhoun started performing CPR and the baby began breathing. Calhoun then took off his uniform shirt and wrapped it around the baby and tried to warm her. She had mud in her eyes, grass in her throat, and her lungs were filled with water.
When the Lee’s Summit Fire Department arrived, they took the baby to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with hypothermia. When she arrived to the hospital, her temperature was 87.9 degrees. However, she survived the incident and according to police, the infant is now in good health.
“There was absolutely someone watching over that child today,” Greenwood police Lt. Aaron Fordham said.
According to investigators, Zicarelli admitted he had he plotted to kill the baby for over 24 hours after being stressed out about the upcoming holidays. He reportedly said he thought if he killed the baby, there would be less stress on his wife. Investigators indicated the suspect said he walked with the baby to the pond on three separate occasions before he eventually put her in the pond and “watched her sink.”
“There was no emotion whatsoever,” Fordham said, describing the suspect’s demeanor.
Zicarelli remains behind bars, charged with domestic assault on the infant. His bond has been set at $500,000.
[Feature Photo: Jonathon Zicarelli/Police Handout]
