How did Emma Sweet die? Body of 2-year-old found after 2-day search
COLUMBUS, INDIANA: Police concluded a two-day search for the body of Emma Sweet, finding her on November 28 two and a half miles from where her father crashed his truck in the White River. The dad is currently the number one suspect, as he was last seen with his two-year-old daughter on November 24. It's unclear what exactly happened, and how the truck ended up in the river, with Jeremy Sweet changing his story at least two times so far.
39-year-old Jeremy and Emma were both reported missing on Thanksgiving day. Then early on November 26 morning, duck hunters found Jeremy's truck submerged in the White River and alerted police. While Jeremy was found alive, Emma was nowhere to be seen. The Bartholomew County Sheriff then began a search, along with help from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indiana State Police, and several area fire departments.
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Jeremy is currently on a 72-hour hold at the hospital, where he is reportedly in critical condition, while the police investigate the case.
Who killed Emma Sweet?
At the moment, it is widely believed Jeremy is responsible for the death of his daughter. According to police, he was found "with a needle and drug paraphernalia" inside the truck when he was first rescued, but police have so far not said whether he was under the influence at the time of the crash. This isn't the first time he's had a run-in with the law though. Reportedly, Jeremy is a felon who was out on bond for "possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon as well as possession of methamphetamine." It's unclear if cops found methamphetamine in the truck when they rescued him.
Police say he has since changed his story about what happened twice, each time offering a conflicting account. The first time, he claimed Emma wasn't with him, and that she had been dropped off. "Right after that he says she was on the hood of the car of his vehicle her coat was wet, so he took the coat off and that’s where she got swept away," Sheriff Matt Myers said. The end of the search was a rather emotional one, as Myers noted. "It’s very emotional for those guys. They all have families. It’s hard for us to distance ourselves from that situation when you’re dealing with the loss of a child. It’s hard for those guys not to picture that being their child," he said.
Jeremy was arrested in May 2021 as part of Operation Columbus Day, believed to be the largest drug trafficking investigation in Bartholomew County. He along with five others were arrested at a home in Columbus after cops found methamphetamine, marijuana, four firearms, and a stolen Chevrolet Corvette. He was also previously arrested in 2015 along with one Linsey M. Sweet on charges related to the manufacturing of methamphetamine.
Emma's body is now in the possession of the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, to determine a cause of death. With the police still investigating the incident, anyone with information is urged to report it to the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Department at 812-379-1650 or any local emergency personnel immediately.