Six-month-old baby found alive in freezing Missouri pond minutes after father confesses to drowning her
A six-month-old baby girl had a miraculous escape after her father attempted to drown her in a pond in northwestern Missouri.
According to police, 28-year-old Jonathan Zicarelli walked into Greenwood Police station in December 2018 and confessed to officers that he'd attempted to drown his daughter.
Cops sprung into action and rescued the infant who was found floating in the icy retention pond on the west side of Greenwood, a suburb of about 5,000 people 20 miles southeast of Kansas City.
According to the Kansas City Star, Zicarelli claimed he was "stressed" by the holidays and wanted to make things easier for his wife, so he devised the shocking murder plot 24 hours before the incident.
Chief Greg Hallgrimson said the girl was found floating face-up in the frigid pond by responding officers, who removed her and found her to be in a state of shock. Corporal T Calhoun immediately performed CPR and got her to begin breathing normally again, Daily Mail reports.
The victim's wet clothing was removed before she was wrapped up by Chief Hallgrimson in his uniform shirt in order to help warm her up.
Police said the six-month-old toddler had been underwater for at least five to seven minutes. Doctors found grass in her mouth, mud in her eyes, and water in her lungs after she was brought to a hospital and treated for severe hypothermia.
Court records say when the child was found, her body temperature registered at 87.9 degrees Fahrenheit. Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the probable cause statement, the child had been in the water for more than 10 minutes before an officer arrived.
Fortunately, she is said to be in good condition as of now.
While officers said its a miracle she's still alive, her father has been charged with domestic assault and his bail set at $500,000.
During Zicarelli's confession, there was "no emotion whatsoever", according to Greenwood Police Lt Aaron Fordham. He said he came up with the plan to kill his daughter a day earlier and even walked to the pond thrice to make sure he could drown her, investigators said. Giving the smallest of details, he described how he put her in the water and watched her sink before leaving the scene.