Items dropped on top of a tree upon death can not be picked back up and keep moving up and down on their own

I fell onto the top of a tree and died. I went to pick up my items and I was able to get most of them. A few chests and a golden apple I can not pick up. I removed the tree leaves and placed some blockes into the water where the items fell. The items keep falling over and over from the same block height that they fell onto.