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Missouri Dad Allegedly Tries To Drown 6-Month Old Baby In Icy Pond, But She Miraculously Survives
Jonathon Stephen Zicarelli allegedly told Greenwood Police he tried to kill his daughter because he was stressed by the holidays and wanted things to be easier for his wife.
A Missouri father allegedly tried to drown his 6-month-old baby in an icy retention pond, but she was found floating face-up and unconscious, but still alive, in what police have called a "miracle."
Greenwood Police said the baby's father, Jonathon Stephen Zicarelli, came into the police station Monday morning to confess that he had killed his infant daughter after watching her drown, according to The Kansas City Star.
But when Police Chief Greg Hallgrimson and Cpl. Tom Calhoun arrived at the pond, they saw the infant floating face up.
Calhoun reportedly jumped into the water to retrieve the baby, who had mud in her eyes and grass and water in her mouth. Although she was unconscious, Calhoun was able to revive her after administering CPR. Police estimated that she had been in the water for about 10 minutes before she was rescued by the officers.
"There was absolutely someone watching over that child today," Greenwood Police Lt. Aaron Fordham told The Star.
The baby, who was taken to a local hospital to be treated for severe hypothermia, was in good health by early Monday afternoon, police said.
"The news came down through the chain and there was a huge sigh of relief," Fordham said.
Zicarelli, who now faces charges of first-degree domestic assault, told police he had killed his young daughter because he was stressed by the holidays and trying to provide for his family and wanted to make life easier for his wife.
"He was very kind of detached in a sense, I guess you could say," Fordham told KMBC.
On Monday morning, Zicarelli allegedly drove to the pond and walked down to the icy waters on three different occasions before putting his daughter in the water. He told police he watched her sink before he left the pond, WDAF-TV reports.
He'd allegedly been thinking about killing the girl for about 24 hours after having "bad thoughts," according to the The Star.
After allegedly placing her in the icy pond, he went to the police station to report the crime.
Zicarelli is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center, according to jail records.
[Photo: Jackson County Detention Center]
