The mother was located walking not far from the scene, police said. A Tampa woman has been arrested for murder after she allegedly threw her 4-year-old daughter into a river, police said. At around 4 p.m. Thursday, police received a report of a woman who had thrown a child into the Hillsborough River, police told ABC News. A dive team went into the water at 4:30 p.m. and located an "unconscious child submerged about 75 feet off shore," police said. The child, later identified as Je'Hyrah Daniels, was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. The child's mother, identified by police as Shakayla Denson, was located by police walking not far from the scene, officials stated. Police allege Denson, 26, had just stolen a Nissan Altima from an auto repair shop. Denson parked the car near the river where witnesses told police she waded into the river with her child and when she got roughly halfway across the river, she tossed the child and left, police said. Denson is facing charges of first-degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse and grand theft auto. She is currently at the jail awaiting processing. This is a developing story, please check back for updates.<doc-sep>For Florida police officers, the calls were almost too insane to be true. Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan thought witnesses – who watched in horror as a mother dragged her screaming 4-year-old daughter into the murky waters of the Hillsborough River on Thursday – were mistaken. "It is tragic, chaotic and just downright unbelievable all at the same time," Dugan said at a Friday news conference. Dugan provided new details about the bizarre incident that led to the death of Je'Hyrah Daniels, including the girl's struggle as she drowned in broad daylight. Her mother, Shakayla Denson, is facing a number of charges, including first-degree felony murder. Police say it all started at 3:09 p.m. Thursday when Denson stole a Nissan Altima from a car lot in Tampa. She "forcefully" pushed Je'Hyrah into the back seat and drove away, Dugan said. A witness, who watched the theft, tried to stop Benson but was slightly struck as she sped off, he added. At around 4 p.m. calls started coming into police from witnesses who saw the mother park near the river then drag the girl by her arms from the car into the water. "The child was screaming," Dugan said. Witnesses watched Denson, who also was screaming, clutch her daughter close to her chest and wade deeper and deeper into the river. Soon, the water reached Denson's shoulders. That's when she shrugged off the child and swam back to shore, leaving the girl to drown. Some witnesses said they could see the girl's hands above the water – then they disappeared. Vicki Walker, who says she noticed Denson in the water, told The Tampa Bay Times the woman started to cry once she made it to shore. At the time, Walker didn't know what had just happened. "My brain knows I couldn’t have done anything but my heart aches knowing a child died right there and I watched her mother walk away from it," she told the Times. The big question police have not been able to answer: Why? "Obviously this is a tragedy that we're going to have to figure out what her mindset was that took her and put her into a place where she would leave a 4-year-old and leave her to drown," Dugan said. More:'Completely tragic': Mother charged with murder after tossing 4-year-old daughter into Florida river, cops say More:Teen ripped out relative's eyes with his bare hands, police say More:Man's legs, hands amputated after a dog's lick: 'He still loves his dog' Denson was arrested shortly after the incident. She was found walking near the river. Dugan said it's unclear whether Denson was under the influence, had any documented mental illness or was simply overwhelmed in some way, adding right now, there are "more questions than answers." A child protective services report obtained by The Tampa Bay Times details a June investigation into Denson and her daughter, who the report notes was a special needs child. The report says someone accused Denson of being overwhelmed by the challenges of raising the child as a single mother and would pay little attention to Je'Hyrah, allowing her to wander off without supervision. Investigators concluded the girl was "happy, healthy and active" but non-verbal. Denson told investigators her daughter was in elementary school and she was trying to get her into therapy and enrollment in an autism center. Dugan said those who watched the episode unfold felt a "sense of helplessness" and "frustration" as they called authorities. Officers who responded tried to go into the dark, murky water, but it wasn't until a police dive team arrived that the girl was found. A diver pulled her "lifeless" body from the river. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. Dugan said he asked the diver how old he thought the girl was, to which the diver told him: the same age as my child. Dugan said an incident like this is one that "tends to affect us all."<doc-sep>According to Tampa police, Shakayla Denson, 26, had just stolen a Nissan Altima from an auto repair shop when she parked it near the bridge and went into the water carrying her daughter, Je’Hyrah Daniels.<doc-sep>
A Florida mother has been arrested and charged with murder after she allegedly left her four-year-old daughter to drown in a river. Shakayla Denson, 26, was arrested by police on Thursday after several witnesses reported watching the woman wade into the water of the Hillsborough River and leave her daughter, Je'Hyrah Daniels, to die. According to WTSP 10 News, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said investigators were still trying to understand the situation. "It's a completely tragic event," Dugan said. "We're still piecing the whole thing together." In a statement, Tampa Police Department said Je'Hryah was rushed to hospital after being retrieved by a dive team. She was pronounced dead at 4:49 p.m. A mugshot of Denson has not yet been released by Tampa Police. Denson had reportedly stolen an old, grey Nissan Altima before driving to Rome Avenue, parking the car and walking to the water. "Roughly halfway across the river, she tossed the child and began wading out." According to the Tampa Bay Times, witnesses saw Denson run from the scene and roam the streets in just a bra, black pants and no shoes. Local worker Osama Jamil, 37, was helping customers in a shop when he noticed Denson. "It was weird," Jamil said. "She was back there, washing her face. She was counting out loud, 19, 20, 21. I went back there to see if she was all right. She didn't look right." After asking her, Jamil said Denson looked up and ran past him. Romano Muniz, 31, said he saw the lifeless body being pulled from the water. "It's disgusting," Muniz said. In June, a West Virginia man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to drown his family in a bathtub. Leslie Kelly, of Chapmanville, was also charged with domestic battery and child abuse creating the risk of serious injury, reported WVAH. In a news release cited by the Associated Press, Logan County Sheriff's Office said deputies found Kelly's wife outside their home drenched in water. She told them her husband was still inside. She had called 911 to tell police that Kelly had held her and their two children under water, but Kelly said he was trying to baptize them on God's orders. Deputies said the children are aged three and six. Deputy Barry Mynes Jr. of the Logan County Sheriff's Office said Kelly repeatedly told him he was trying to send his children to heaven.