COLUMBUS – The man accused of drowning his daughter was to appear in court today, Monday, May 1, to plead guilty. That hearing was canceled and rescheduled for June 11 at 3:00 p.m. in Bartholomew County Superior Court 1.
Two-year-old Emma Sweet’s body was pulled from the East Fork of White River on Sunday, November 28, 2021. She was submerged in a debris pile about half of a mile from the location where Emma’s cream color jacket with butterflies on it was found the day before, roughly two miles downstream from where her father’s truck was found on Friday, November 26, 2021.
Her father, Jeremy Sweet, is facing charges of neglect of a dependent – resulting in death, unlawful possession of a syringe, and being a habitual offender. He is being held in the Bartholomew County Jail on a $1.2 million bond. He requested a bond hearing to reduce his bail on January 26, 2022. Judge James D. Worton denied that request, saying Sweet was a danger to the community, had a high risk of reoffending, and, at the time, had three pending cases in Bartholomew County.
The terms of the plea deal have not been released.
Emma’s mother reported both Emma and Jeremy missing on Thanksgiving Day. They were last seen in Jeremy’s black pickup truck.
On Friday, November 26th, around 6:00 a.m., duck hunters discovered a truck partially submerged in the river off a farm lane near the 1700 block of Blessing Road near Beatty Lane. Inside was Emma’s father, Jeremy Sweet, of Columbus, but his daughter was nowhere to be found. The area where the truck was found required going off-road, around barriers, and down a 15 to 20-foot embankment into the river.
Jeremy Sweet suffered exposure and hypothermia. He was taken to Columbus Regional Hospital for treatment. After being released from the hospital on Monday, November 29, 2021, he was taken to jail, where he was held on a 72-hour hold until charges were filed on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
