A frantic search for a missing 2-year-old
New York City
boy has shifted to the Bronx River, as police suspect the child’s father may have thrown him into the water.
Little Montrell Williams, 2, was last seen around 10pm on May 10, wearing only a white shirt and diaper, at an apartment building in Hunts Point about a mile from his home.
The boy was reportedly with his 20-year-old father that day for a scheduled custodial visit. The parents share split custody and visitation rights.
However, when Montrell was not returned several days later, his 17-year-old mother grew concerned.
On May 30, after questioning the father about the boy’s whereabouts, she received a troubling response.
‘She asked where their son was and he made concerning statements,’ a police source told the
Daily News
. Officials confirmed that the father’s initial statements raised red flags about the child’s safety.
Following initial questioning at a police precinct, the father appeared in Bronx Family Court on Monday to answer a warrant for failing to return Montrell in accordance with the custody agreement, according to
ABC7.
When he refused to disclose the boy’s location to the judge, he was taken into custody.
Detectives have reason to believe the father threw Montrell into the Bronx River, near the Bruckner Expressway.
The NYPD launched a search for the toddler’s body, which is expected to continue.
Police have since released a photo of Montrell and issued a public appeal for help in locating him.
Neighbors expressed shock that the child has been missing for nearly a month.
‘I can only imagine what his mom is going through right now,’ neighbor Tracey Pringle told ABC7. ‘The only thing we can do is just hope and pray that he’s OK and that he’s returned safely.’
‘I seen the little boy. I always seen the mom,’ another neighbor, who asked not to be named, told the Daily News. ‘The mom takes the baby to daycare every day.’
‘I feel bad for the parents. I feel bad for the kid. Whoever has the kid, return him,’ Norma Ramos, a local resident of 30 years, told the Daily News. ‘I have kids myself. It hurts as a parent.’
Montrell is described as having a medium complexion, brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
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