Police piecing together timeline in Delaware River deaths

Bob Brooks Image
Friday, July 5, 2019
Police piecing together timeline in Delaware River deaths
Police piecing together timeline in Delaware River deaths. Watch the report from Bob Brooks on Action News at 5 p.m. on July 5, 2019.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- When rescuers got to the scene on Thursday they hoped by the time the dive team got to a man floating in the Delaware River that somehow he would still be alive.

Tragically he wasn't.

Just a few hours before in the same location near 700 Columbus Boulevard a woman was also found dead.

Police have now confirmed 28-year-old Anjania Patterson and 39-year-old Timothy Siler were the ones found dead.

Even worse, police say their 5-year-old daughter was left in their Nissan SUV, unharmed, next to the water.

Friday morning, Philadelphia Police released new details based on surveillance video they've obtained.

Action Cam: Police investigate bodies found in Delaware River on July 4, 2019.

Detectives say the incident began much earlier Thursday morning than they previously thought.

"Apparently it occurred around 2:45 a.m.," said Philadelphia Police Captain Sekou Kinebrew.

The video also recorded what they think are the moments leading up to when the tragedy began.

"They park the SUV, they get out, the child is still in the vehicle. They have some sort of conversation," Kinebrew said.

Next police say the two separate for a brief moment.

"The mother we believe is still at the bank of the river when the father goes back to the car," Kinebrew said. "When he returns we believe the mother has already jumped into the river. He looks around and then he jumps in, presumably to rescue her."

Police also say it was a person walking their dog in the morning who first spotted Patterson in the water.

Siler wasn't located until several hours later.

"Again, not really sure the reason they jumped in. But it doesn't look like foul play with anyone being pushed in. But we want to make sure we complete that as a scenario," Kinebrew said.

Police say Patterson and Siler's daughter is now with her grandmother.