A missing 2-year-old boy is now feared dead after police say his father may have thrown him into the Bronx River.
Detectives suspect little Montrell Williams’ 20-year-old father threw him into the river near the Bruckner Expressway.
NYPD divers have been focusing their search under the Expressway since investigators have surveillance video of the father with his child along the river.
Detectives said they have surveillance video of Montrell’s father throwing a black bag into the river.
The child’s family has been walking up and down the river in their search, holding onto hope.
Montrell Williams disappeared on May 9 following a custody meeting with his father. The next day, May 10, the child’s father and grandmother, with whom he lived, got into a disagreement. Authorities surmise that the father absconded with the toddler, never returning him to the child’s mother.
“Me and him had a conflict. I’m in my room. My cousin told me that my son took the baby. I went downstairs to chase him. He was gone. From that day, I was trying to search for my grandson,” the grandmother said.
The missing child’s 17-year-old mother claims she saw and confronted the father over a month later, on Sunday, June 8.
He apparently retaliated by drawing a knife. But the haunting words he chose proved considerably more damaging. The father allegedly said he threw his child into the river. The adolescent mother contacted the police.
The police were summoned, and when questioned about his son’s location, authorities stated the father’s responses raised serious red flags.
Montrell’s grandma, the father’s mother, had been urgently seeking him for a month.
“I just hope my son opens his mouth and speaks. I love him and bring my grand baby back,” the grandmother said.
Montrell’s grandma claims she went to the police the day after the argument in May, one month ago.
“I went to the precinct. They didn’t help me,” she said.
“We’re still unraveling exactly what happened. Were proper procedures followed?” Mayor Adams said on Tuesday when asked why it took so long for police to file a missing persons report.
“We’re still investigating all actions. The actions of the dad, the actions of officers who responded. And once we have a full understanding based on the detectives division, we’ll be able to answer what happened but right now our goal is find the child,” Adams said.
On Monday, the father appeared in Bronx Family Court to answer a warrant for failing to return the boy to his mother as agreed upon in their custody agreement.
A judge sentenced Montrell’s father to jail for failing to reveal the child’s whereabouts.
The 20-year-old father has not yet faced criminal charges. Authorities claim he has failed to inform detectives and the family court what happened to his toddler.
Police do not believe the mother, who is 17, knows where her son is.
Neighbors expressed their surprise at his disappearance for nearly a month.
“I can only imagine what his mom is going through right now,” said the boy’s neighbor Tracey Pringle. “The only thing we can do is just hope and pray that he’s OK and that he’s returned safely.”
The missing kid is said to have a medium complexion, brown eyes, and black hair. He was last seen in a white shirt and diaper.
Anyone with information on this event should contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).