4-Year-Old Dead After Mother Tossed Her Into River, Faces Murder Charges

A 4-year-old girl died Thursday after her mother apparently threw her into a river in Tampa, Florida, police said. Shakayla Denson, 26, was charged with first-degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse and grand theft auto.

The girl, identified as Je'Hyrah Daniels, was reportedly tossed into the Hillsborough River after her mother waded into the water, Tampa Police Department said in a release on Facebook.

Police arrived at the scene of the incident and rescue divers were sent in to pull the girl out of the river. The girl was in an unconscious state when she was taken out of the water nearly half an hour later. She was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

According to police, Denson had stolen a Nissan Altima vehicle from an autoshop in St. Petersburg before she "waded" into the water with her daughter.

"Roughly halfway across the river, she tossed the child and began wading out," police said, adding that they later spotted Denson and took her into custody.

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said witnesses at the scene were "shaken up" when they called the department to report the horrific incident.

"It's a crazy scene that we are still unraveling many of the pieces," Dugan said in a statement to WSVN. “The mom is in custody, and right now we are sorting through to get answers... That’s why I say we believe it’s her child, but we are trying to piece this whole thing together.”

“Unfortunately, at this point, there are more questions than there are answers,” Dugan said. “It’s the craziness of the world that we live in at times.”

Officials are waiting for an autopsy to determine the cause of the child’s death.