Indiana toddler cruise ship death: 'Hysterical' grandfather had to be sedated after he dropped 18-month-old girl from 11th deck
A grandfather from Indiana who dropped his 18-month-old granddaughter off a cruise ship to her death reportedly had to be sedated after the tragedy, reports state. The grandfather, Salvatore Anello, was described as hysterical after toddler Chloe Wiegand fell 150ft from the 11th deck of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on Sunday.
Investigators believe that Anello was playing with the young girl when he dropped her. The family, after the tragedy, revealed that the grandfather had placed the toddler on a railing that believed was behind glass. The family said that the toddler loved to look through windows and would often bang on the glass while watching her brother play ice hockey. However, for some reason, one of the panes of glass in the children’s play area was missing.
Reports state that the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas ship was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the incident occurred.
Anello, his wife, son-in-law Alan Wiegalnd and Chloe's parental grandparents reportedly all had to be sedated by medics, according to El Vocero. Prosecutors, however, are investigating the death and have said that they have not ruled anything out yet.
The acting head of the San Juan Police Department's Homicide Division, Sgt Jose D. Sanchez, while speaking to Daily Mail, said: "There are various possibilities. It could be a homicide. It could be a murder. It could be an accident."
"We are currently in the very early stages of the investigation. We haven't ruled out any possibility. We are doing a professional, thorough investigation into the events to explain the death of this little girl. As police officers our duty lies with the victim."
One passenger present at the cruise at the time of the incident said: "We heard the screams of the families because we were close. A cry of pain of that nature does not compare with any other cry," Telemundo PR reported.
Commissioner of the Police Bureau, Henry Escalera Rivera, told Prima Hora: "This is a process that is under investigation."We must wait to interview relatives and evaluate other evidence to determine if the filing of charges is appropriate."