VONROE, TN – A shocking incident unfolded at a lake in southeast Tennessee, as bystanders reported seeing a woman attempting to submerge a child underwater. The event took place on Wednesday afternoon near the Sea Ray Boat company on Lake Tellico.
According to a statement given to the Vonroe Police Department, an employee of the company reported that a woman had bypassed security, ignoring their attempts to stop her. Witnesses reported seeing the woman smoking marijuana in her car, blowing the smoke into a child’s face, and forcing the child to consume an alcoholic beverage known as Twisted Tea.
The woman, later identified as the mother of the 7-year-old girl, was seen dragging the child into the lake. Witnesses described a horrifying scene where the woman held the child underwater, seemingly attempting to drown her. Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, bystanders rushed to intervene, rescuing the child from the water.
The incident did not end there. The woman reportedly returned to her car and drove it into the lake at high speed. A witness claimed the car was traveling at around 80 mph when it hit the water. The woman managed to escape the sinking vehicle through the driver’s side window and swam to shore, where she was subsequently arrested.
When questioned at the address listed on her DUI citation, a man who wished to remain anonymous stated that the woman had been living with him for the past four months. He expressed shock at the incident, stating that he had seen her earlier in the week and nothing seemed amiss. He could not provide any explanation for her actions, denying any knowledge of a dispute between the woman and her daughter.
The Tennessee State Patrol reported that the woman, identified as Jessica Upton, declined to discuss the incident during her booking at the Monroe County Justice Center. The child told authorities that Upton had informed her they were going to visit her grandmother in New York. She also revealed that Upton had discarded her iPad, cell phone, and clothes at a car wash prior to arriving at the lake, and had been behaving strangely for two days.
Upton is currently facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and DUI. The child is now safe and residing with relatives in metro Atlanta.