Police Chase Ends in River, With Toddler Among the Dead

Her pregnant mom also died in Milwaukee chase
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 3, 2019 12:50 AM CST
Toddler Among 3 Dead After SUV Crashes Into River During Police Chase
This Jan. 1, 2019 screen shot from WISN-TV shows authorities pulling out an SUV from the Kinnickinnic River, a day after it crashed into the river during a police chase.   (WISN-TV via AP)

A toddler, her young mother, and a man died when their vehicle drove into a frigid river while being chased by police in Milwaukee. Surveillance video shows the vehicle speeding and the driver losing control before the SUV crashed into the Kinnickinnic River on Monday night, the AP reports. It's unclear who was driving the vehicle. Sgt. Sheronda Grant, a police spokeswoman, says an officer tried to stop the vehicle because it matched the description of a car involved in two violent armed robberies earlier in the day. When the car fled, the officer chased after it. The body of the toddler's 19-year-old mother was recovered from the water Monday, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Divers found the bodies of a 2-year-old girl and a 29-year-old man on Tuesday afternoon after the SUV was removed from the water. Grant didn't know whether the toddler was in the car when the robberies were committed, or how many people were robbed. On Wednesday, police identified the people who died in the vehicle as Charles Barefield, 29, Shannan Nehmer, 19, and her 2-year-old daughter Annamelia Hernandez, TMJ4 reports. Fox 6 reports that the medical examiners says Nehmer was a few weeks pregnant at the time of her death. Police say a third person involved in the New Year's Eve robbery spree has been taken into custody. The Wisconsin State Patrol is investigating the crash and whether adverse road conditions or drugs played a role in the deaths.

(More Milwaukee stories.)

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