Tempe Police detectives have been working around the clock on an investigation that began on Sunday morning at approximately 12:15 a.m. after 27 year old, Glenn Edward Baxter took deliberate actions when he drove his family into the Tempe Town Lake.
On Sunday, Tempe Police and Tempe Fire Medical Rescue responded to a vehicle that was seen driving into the north side of Tempe Town Lake, under the Scottsdale Road bridge. Four witnesses were on the south side of the Tempe Town Lake when they observed the vehicle drive into the lake. Three Tempe Police officers arrived first on scene with two of the witnesses who all jumped into the lake to extricate the passengers.
When officers jumped into the lake they pulled out two young children, a one year old little girl identified as Zariyah Baxter and a two year old little boy, identified as Nazyiah Baxter. Officers and the witnesses also pulled out the mother of the children, identified as 25 year old Danica Baxter and the father of the children, identified as 27 year old Glenn Edward Baxter.
Glenn was located in the driver seat and Danica was located in the front passenger seat. Both Zariyah and Nazyiah were located in the middle seat of the vehicle.
All four occupants were unconscious and officers and firefighters attempted to provide lifesaving measures to them all. All four were transported to the hospital where both children and parents later died.
After being transported to the hospital Danica was identified and it was found out that she and Glenn had another 3 year old child, Reighn Baxter who was unaccounted for. With the assistance of the Tempe Fire Dive Team they located Reign’s body in the back seat of the submersed vehicle at approximately 10:00 AM.
At this time the family members have all been identified as the following:
Father: 27 year old Glenn Edward Baxter
Mother: 25 year old Danica Baxter
Son: 3 year old Reighn Baxter
Son: 2 year old Nazyiah Baxter
Daughter: 1 year old Zariyah Baxter
Baxter was the father of all three children in the vehicle and was the husband of Danica Baxter.