Girl, 5, was alive when father dropped her from a Florida bridge: police
Detectives believe Phoebe Jonchuck was conscious when parent John tossed her over the railing of a bridge in St Petersburg, Florida
Five-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck was probably alive when her father dropped her over a bridge railing, sending her to her death in the waters of Florida’s Tampa Bay, police said on Friday.
Detectives said they had “preliminary evidence” indicating Phoebe was alive, but they wouldn’t say specifically what it was. Police previously said an officer who saw John Jonchuck drop Phoebe from the bridge may have heard her scream.
Her body was found in the water a couple of hours later. An autopsy is pending.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Jonchuck’s car and found a pink booster seat, cellphone and religious items they would not describe. Hours before Phoebe’s death, Jonchuck called his attorney “God” and asked her to translate a Bible, police said.
The comments prompted his attorney to call police and a child welfare abuse hotline, but when police interviewed 25-year-old Jonchuck in person, he appeared fine and Phoebe was smiling and holding his hand. He said he did not want to hurt himself or his little girl and had “new clarity in his life”.
Jonchuck was charged with murder. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer to represent him. At a court hearing on Thursday, a judge asked him if he wanted one and he said: “I want to leave it in the hands of God.”