Girl Thrown Off Bridge - On Thursday, a 5-year-old girl from Florida was found dead after her father threw her over the side of a bridge. The girl thrown off bridge in Florida fell 62 feet and into frigid waters, according to St. Petersburg police.
The father of the girl thrown off bridge was identified as 25-year-old John Jonchuck Jr.
Police said in a statement that Jonchuck had been driving about 100 miles per hour when he sped past an officer just after midnight. He was reported while headed toward the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay.
After Jonchuck stopped near the top of an approach to the bridge, he waited for the officer, but then he also removed his daughter from the vehicle, placing her face towards him and had the girl thrown off bridge.
The officer began searching for the child that Jonchuck threw and afterwards the man drove away at a normal speed, St. Petersburg police Chief Anthony Holloway said.
The girl thrown off bridge was found about an hour later, roughly a half-mile from the bridge. She was pronounced dead at hospital. As of the current moment, police remains unsure whether the girl had been dead before she landed in the water. The police noted that the weather during the night was windy and with fast-moving currents.
Meanwhile, an autopsy was still under way, according to the BBC.
"You just throw this baby away like it's nothing," Holloway said during a news conference.
After the Jonchuck had the girl thrown off bridge, and although he was able to go away as the officer searched for the child, he was later stopped by authorities in nearby Manatee County. He had taken in custody. Upon investigation of his vehicle, an empty pink car seat was found sitting in the back of his vehicle.
Jonchuck had been arrested on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer.
According to Holloway, Jonchuck still lived with his parents in Tampa and had custody of the child. Phoebe, the girl thrown off bridge, was only a kindergarten student. On Thursday, her principal described her as bright and fond of books.
Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating the motive for the 25-year-old had for having the girl thrown off bridge. The motive remains unclear since the suspect has refused to talk after being arrest, said Holloway at a news conference Thursday morning.
It is believed that Jonchuck could have had mental issues. Officers are now investigating whether drugs or alcohol had been involved when the father hurt his own daughter.
On Thursday afternoon, a judge denied bond on the murder charge. Jonchuck also said he didn't want a court-appointed attorney and that he would be leaving his fate "in the hands of God." The judge issued an order for him to be back Monday, providing ample time for the suspectto reconsider his decision, reports NBC News.
He had already been arrested several times in recent years, charged of domestic violence and battery, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. He had also been accused of battering the mother of his daughter, and reports involving child protective services. However, details had not immediately available, according to Reuters.
For having the girl thrown off that bridge has led to her father having to go through court appearance. Jonchuck was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
