LAWRENCE, Kan. — Investigators are still trying to determine why the driver of a car plunged into the Kansas River on Friday afternoon, but police have arrested a woman after divers pulled a 5-year-old girl from the river on Saturday morning. Scharron Renea Dingledine, 26, is under arrest pending first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges.
Police say Dingledine’s daughter was the child pulled from the river, and her 1-year-old son remains hospitalized.
The area of investigation is near the Bowersock hydropower plant near 6th and Massachusetts in Lawrence. Earlier on Saturday, law enforcement officials told FOX4 that it is unusual for anyone – outside of people going to the power plant – to be in the area. Yet, that’s where a mother and her two children went into the water Friday afternoon.
While Dingledine is in custody, and investigators believe everyone and the vehicle are out of the river, a long investigation lies ahead.
“We’re focusing on the treatment of the individuals involved at the hospital. We’re going to do interviews with the adult female that was taken to the hospital. (We’re going to ) Try to understand better what occurred and why, and then put together a timeline of this particular incident,” Lawrence Police Captain Trent McKinley said.
The Lawrence Police Department asks that anyone who saw or has any tips on what led to the incident to get in touch with them. CrimeStoppers in Lawrence are available at (785) 843-8477.
Dingledine is in jail, being held without bail.