VONORE, Tenn. — A Georgia mother is in custody and accused of attempted murder after Vonore police said she tried to drown her child before driving her car into Tellico Lake.
It happened Wednesday at Sea Ray Boats' Vonore location in Monroe County, which is located near Fort Loudoun State Park. The child told police her mother "had been acting weird for two days" before the incident began, according to the arrest reports from the Vonore Police Department.
The mother, identified as 38-year-old Jessica Upton from Douglasville, Georgia, refused to stop at the Sea Ray Boat Company's security gate. After passing through the gate, witnesses said they saw her blowing what appeared to be marijuana smoke in the child's face and making the kid drink alcoholic iced tea.
The witnesses said Upton then took her child into the water and tried to drown her by holding her underwater. Employees at the boat facility intervened and saved the child, separating her from her mother as she gripped her with two hands.
Upton then got into her car and drove to the MasterCraft Boat Company parking lot next to Sea Ray. At that point, witnesses said they watched her speed up and drive into the lake. The mother got out of the driver's side window as the car began sinking into the lake.
Witnesses said someone tackled Upton after she swam to shore and tried to run into the woods. Police later arrived and took the mother into custody, saying she was intoxicated at the time. A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was called to help investigate if she was driving under the influence, with the trooper saying they had reason to suspect she was intoxicated at the time after speaking with her and taking a blood sample.
Police said the child is safe and is being placed with relatives in Georgia. VPD said it is working with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Police spoke with the child, who told them her mother originally told her she was taking her to her grandmother in New York to drop her off. She said her mother stopped at a gas station to buy the spiked teas and then went to a car wash to trash all of the child's belongings, including her iPad, cell phone and some clothes.
The child then said her mother drove her to an unknown place before going down to the lake, into the water and putting her under the water. The child said she was scared until some men got her and took her to a nurse.
On Thursday, WBIR's sister station in Atlanta, 11Alive, stopped by the address that was listed on her DUI citation. A man who answered the door who didn't want to be identified said Upton had been staying with him for the past four months. He said he was shocked. He said he just saw her earlier this week.
The man said nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
"I don't know what possibly could have happened that would make her want do this," he explained.
When asked if there was any type of ongoing dispute between Upton and her daughter, he responded, "Hell nah, no, not even remotely, she loves her daughter, she would do anything for her daughter. I can’t imagine... what would make her want to do something like that."
"Maybe they gave her some bad drugs or I don’t know man, or put something in her food. I don’t know," he said.
Upton is charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and DUI, according to her arrest reports. As of Friday, Upton had no bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.