Woman charged with neglect after 5-year-old girl found dead in river

VINCENNES, Ind. (WFIE/Gray News) - Authorities are investigating the death of a 5-year-old girl after her body was recovered Thursday night from the Wabash River in Vincennes, Indiana.

Knox County officials said they took a 911 call on Thursday at around 2:40 p.m. that reported a child who had been playing in the river at Kimmel Park in Vincennes had vanished.

According to a Department of Natural Resources report, multiple agencies rushed to the scene and began searching for the girl using boat, sonar and dive teams.

Shortly before 7:15 p.m., officials said the girl’s body was found by divers near the park’s boat ramp.

Deonna Hollingsworth, 26, was arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent.(Knox County Jail)

As a result of the investigation, 26-year-old Deonna Hollingsworth, of Vincennes, was arrested and charged with neglect of a dependent.

The Associated Press identified Hollingsworth as the child’s stepmother.

The investigation is ongoing.

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