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5 months ago
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A midwestern man has been sentenced to forty years in prison after his toddler died in a shallow river on Thanksgiving in 2021.
Jeremy Sweet, 41, wept as he was handed his sentence this week in Indiana court, where he'd previously pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, in addition to a habitual offender enhancement from drug crimes.
Sweet's young daughter, Emma, died after he drove his truck into a shallow river. She was just two years old.
The father-daughter pair were seen for the final time together on November 24, 2021, and reported missing the following day.
On November 26, Jeremy was discovered and rescued by local duck hunters. His truck was spotted at about 6am, submerged in shallow water.
Jeremy Sweet (center), 41, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the role he played in his two-year-old daughter's death
Emma Sweet died after her father drove his truck into a shallow Indiana river and failed to save her
Sweet was subsequently hospitalized with hypothermia and placed on a 72-hour hold as detectives investigated the circumstances of the submersion.
During his sentencing hearing, Sweet assumed responsibility for what had happened.
He broke down as he apologized to his ex-wife for their daughter's death.
'There’s nothing I can say to change what has happened. But I swear to God on everything I love that I’m so sorry,' he said as he sobbed, according to a courtroom report.
Initially, following his rescue, Sweet told authorities that he'd been taking a friend to work and become lost in some fields before taking a wrong turn that sent his truck into the White River.
He also provided several differing accounts of what happened to his young daughter, first telling officers that he'd dropped her off somewhere before driving into the river, then admitting she was with him during the accident.
Sweet, 41, pleaded guilty to one count each of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and a habitual offender enhancement for drug crimes on Tuesday in Indiana Count
An affidavit filed in his case reads: 'Jeremy said that water was coming into the truck, so he put Emma on the hood or roof of the truck. Jeremy said that he and Emma fell into the water.'
He later said that the pair climbed to the roof of the truck, where he held Emma for a while before falling into the water.
He then said that he placed Emma atop the vehicle alone and eventually fell asleep. When he awoke, his daughter was gone, said said.
Sweet told police that his daughter was last seen alive on the roof of the pickup, 'yelling for her mom.'
Where his truck was discovered, the river was three-to-five feet deep, according to law enforcement. Several days after the accident, Emma's body was found by divers.
The day after Sweet was rescued, he admitted during an interview with detectives that he had used marijuana and methamphetamines on Thanksgiving Day, according to the local Fox affiliate.
An image of Sweet's pickup truck submerged after he was found by duck hunters, rescued, and treated for hypothermia
County officials oversaw the removal of the truck from the river. Days after her father was rescued, Emma's body was found
Eventually, investigators discovered the father had been at a nearby casino through the night with two friends on the day before the fatal accident.
He then went to go pick up his daughter because her mother had to go to work. Police assessing the scene and Sweet's story said they doubted if he'd ever really been lost.
Sweet was sentenced to three decades in prison for his first offense, and an additional decade for the second - the court determined that the sentences will run consecutively.
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