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Cops ‘won’t rule out murder’ after tragic toddler dropped 150ft from Royal Caribbean ship window but family blame liner
POLICE investigating the death of a toddler who fell 150 feet from the window of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship say they won't rule out murder.
Eighteen-month-old Chloe Wiegand, from Indiana, plummeted 11 floors from the Freedom of the Seas, reportedly slamming into concrete below while the vessel was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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She was reported to have slipped from her grandfather's arms while sat by a window that was thought to be shut, but police looking into the incident have said that murder cannot be ruled out.
Sgt Jose D. Sanchez, acting head of the San Juan Police Department's Homicide Division, told : "There are various possibilities. It could be a homicide.
"It could be a murder. It could be an accident.
"We are currently in the very early stages of the investigation.
"We haven't ruled out any possibility.
"We are doing a professional, thorough investigation into the events to explain the death of this little girl.
"As police officers our duty lies with the victim."
Police have also said previously that early indications suggested the toddler died as a result of a tragic accident.
'WHY WAS THERE NO GLASS?'
A lawyer for the Weigand family has hit back at suggestions the girl's grandfather was responsible, pinning blame for the tragedy on Royal Caribbean cruise line.
Michael Winkleman insisted the incident was not "like the Michael Jackson story, where he was dangling the child out the window."
In 2002, singer Michael Jackson sparked controversy after dangling his then-infant son Blanket over the railings of a balcony at a Berlin hotel.
Winkleman explained that Chloe's doting grandfather, Salvatore Anello, placed the girl on a railing, believing it to be behind glass.
But he said that one of the panes of glass in the children’s play area where the family were gathered was not there.
Little Chloe loved to look through windows and would often bang on the glass while watching her big brother play ice hockey, the family revealed.
"Essentially her grandfather lifts her up and puts her on a railing and where he thinks that there is glass there because it's clear, but it turns out there was no glass there," he said.
"She goes to bang on the glass like she would have at one of those hockey rinks, and the next thing you know, she's gone."
He added: "Why in the world would you leave a window open in an entire glass wall full of windows in a kid's area?"
The boat has a height of around 210ft and the 11th floor will have been around 150ft above land level when the vessel was docked.
A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told Sun Online: "We are deeply saddened by yesterday’s tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family.
"We’ve made our Care Team available to assist the family with any resources they need.
"Out of respect for their privacy, we do not plan to comment further on the incident."
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CRIES OF AGONY
Elmer Román, from the Department of Public Security, previously told early investigations suggested the grandfather took her to the edge as part of a “game”.
Mr Anello and several other family members were so hysterical after the child’s tragic death plunge that they had to be sedated by medics, according to .
Witnesses told how they heard the family, from Indiana, US, wailing in agony after Chloe fell to her death.
One passenger told Telemundo PR: “We heard the screams of the families because we were close.
“A cry of pain of that nature does not compare with any other cry.”
Puerto Rico Ports Authority spokesman José Carmona said the family was gathered in or near a dining hall on the 11th floor and that the grandfather sat the toddler on the edge of a window.
He said officials are investigating whether the window was already opened or if someone had opened it.
FACING CHARGES
It is still not clear whether Mr Anello or anyone else will be prosecuted over Chloe’s death, with cops quizzing witnesses and reviewing CCTV before deciding whether to file negligence charges.
Henry Escalera Rivera, Commissioner of the Police Bureau, told Prima Hora: “This is a process that is under investigation.
“We must wait to interview relatives and evaluate other evidence to determine if the filing of charges is appropriate.”
Devastated mum Kimberley Schultz Wiegand posted pictures of herself with her little girl on Facebook in the wake of the tragedy.
Friends and family paid tribute, leaving comments like: “Sweet angel. Praying for you and your family Kim.”
Another wrote: “You are loved. Praying for you and your family. I'm so sorry.”
The child's father has been identified as police officer Alan Wiegand by the South Bend Police Department in Indiana.
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Police chief Scott Ruszkowski disputed the statement issued by Puerto Rico police that the girl was being held out of the window.
Freedom of the Seas holds around 4,000 passengers and was ending a seven-day Southern Caribbean cruise of Antigua, St Lucia and Barbados at the time of the tragedy.
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Toddler dies after plunging 150ft from Royal Caribbean cruise ship while being ‘dangled out of window’ by granddad
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