A man is accused of drowning his 17-month-old daughter on Monday, the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.
- Man accused of killed 17-month-old daughter
- Deputies found the child dead in a bathtub
- Man charged with first-degree murder
Jeremy Main, 38, was taken into custody after turning himself in at the Sumter County Sheriff's Office substation, deputies said. He's since been transferred to Lake County.
At 9:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call from the Ocala Police Department.
A woman told police that her husband, Main, had called her and said he killed their daughter.
Deputies responded to a residence on Redbud Road and made a forced entry into the home.
Once inside, they found the child dead in the bathtub, deputies said.
Main has been charged with first-degree murder.
Neighbors said the family kept mostly to themselves.
"I've seen him out here, he always seemed friendly enough, friendly waves," neighbor Deidre Holloway said. "The baby seemed happy, he seemed happy. I'm pretty furious this happened. I mean, it was a 17-month-old baby."
At this time, deputies don't believe the death was accidental.
"It's hard, but it looks like something he did," said Fred Jones with the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said they are still trying to determine a motive, but they believe Main and his wife were having marital issues.
"I've never heard any arguments between them," said Holloway. "The were pretty private people. Only time I would see them out was if she was leaving in her car or if he was walking the baby."
The couple also has two teenage children, deputies said.