Father of the 5-year-old Phoebe, John Nicholas Jonchuck appears on a video monitor before Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court Judge on Jan. 8, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (AP)
Police say they believe 5-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck was alive when her father dropped her over a bridge railing, sending her into Florida's Tampa Bay.
In a statement Friday, St. Petersburg Police said detectives have "preliminary evidence" showing the girl was alive when she was tossed into the water. They would not detail the evidence.
Police previously said an officer who saw John Jonchuck drop Phoebe from the bridge may have heard her scream. Her body was found in the water a couple of hours later.
Police say hours before Phoebe's death, Jonchuck called his attorney "God" and asked her to translate a Bible.
Jonchuck was charged with murder.