A 2-year-old New York City boy who hasn't been seen for a month may have been thrown in the Bronx River by his father when the pair wandered off during a family celebration, multiple sources familiar with the investigation confirmed Tuesday.
Montrell Williams was last seen on May 10 wearing a white T-shirt and diaper on Hunts Point Road in the Bronx, about a half-mile from where police boats and divers were searching for the boy Tuesday, according to sources.
According to the sources, the boy was with his parents on May 10 for a family celebration. At some point, sources say the 20-year-old father left the celebration with Montrell.
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WATCH HEREThat night, the child's 17-year-old mother called police because she was worried about her son. Police took a domestic report, meaning the case was not sent to detectives, according to the sources.
The parents aren't married; it's unclear if they are divorced.
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SIGN UP When the father didn't return Montrell home per their custody agreement, the sources say, the mother and other family members called police multiple. It's not clear exactly how many calls were made in what time frame.
According to the sources, the mother saw the father on a street in Manhattan on Saturday and asked him about their son. The father allegedly pulled out a knife; the mother called police and he was taken into custody. At some point, sources say the father allegedly told the mother he had thrown their 2-year-old in the river.
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No charges have been filed at this time.
The NYPD says its Internal Affairs Unit launched an investigation into the department's initial handling of the case.
Asked Tuesday about the developments in the investigation, Mayor Eric Adams says the exact nature of what happened, including the timeline, still remains under investigation.
"We were 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 detective division will be able to answer what happened but right now our goal is to try and find the child," Adams said.
"We have to look at every role that our offices responded and you know everything from filling out a domestic incident report to referring to the detective division … that whole process we’re going to examine," he added.
