Emma Sweet , a two-year-old girl who disappeared last Thanksgiving with her father, was found dead in an Indiana river three days later. Bartholomew County authorities said the little girl died of "hypothermia and suffocation, drowning in water" and her father is now facing murder charges.
"The person in charge of the girl did nothing to rescue her and his lack of action was the cause of her death," revealed the county police chief.
Emma and her dad, Jeremy Sweet, were reported missing by Emma's mom a day after father and daughter were last seen together. On the morning of November 26, some duck hunters spotted Sweet's truck in the White River. He was still alive and was transferred to a hospital where he was treated for hypothermia, but his daughter was not with him.
The authorities then opened a frantic investigation to find Emma and two days later a diver from the rescue forces found the lifeless body of the little girl, three miles below where her father was found days ago.
Emma's uncle, Bryan O'Neal , could not hold back his tears at the press conference where he thanked the authorities for not ceasing their efforts until they found the body of his little niece: "On behalf of my family, we greatly value everything what the people involved and all the resources the authorities have put in place to find Emma and bring her home. "
Bartolomé County Sheriff Matt Myers confirmed Sweet was in possession of drugs and a syringe when found in his semi-submerged truck. The car was taken to a safe place where it is now being examined in detail. It is not yet known exactly how long the vehicle was in the water or how the girl died, since her father gave three different versions of the event. During the incident, Sweet was on probation on bail for other crimes.