Dad of missing toddler jailed after telling mom he threw son into Bronx River

Yahoo

a day ago

The father of a 2-year-old Bronx boy missing for a month has been thrown in jail after telling the toddler's mom he threw their son in the Bronx River, police sources said Tuesday.
A Family Court judge found the 20-year-old dad in contempt of court and ordered him held on Rikers Island without bail on Monday for refusing to say where his son Montrell Williams could be found, officials said.
A day earlier, he threatened the boy's mom with a knife when she demanded answers and told her he had tossed the boy into the river, a police source said.
The dad was seen throwing a bag into the river near Bronx River Ave. and Bruckner Blvd. on May 10 — the same day Montrell came to spend time with him, a police source said. The father and the boy's 17-year-old mom have joint custody.
On Tuesday, NYPD divers were searching for the missing boy in the Bronx River in the Soundview section of the Bronx, about a 15 minute walk from the dad's home on Hunts Point Ave. near Lafayette Ave where the boy was last seen.
'We're not leaving any stone unturned,' Mayor Adams said Tuesday. 'We're going to do a thorough investigation to determine where the child is.'
'This was a troubling series of events, based on the actions of the dad in handling the child,' the mayor added. 'We need to find out exactly what happened … Right now, our goal is to try to find the child … We are still praying that the child is alright.'
The toddler's mother left Montrell with his father about 10 p.m. on May 10 so they could attend a Mother's Day celebration with the dad's family, a police source said.
But a short time later, the father got in an argument with someone at the party and stormed off with the child. He never returned Montrell to his mother.
Police later learned that the father was seen at a cousin's house in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx about 12:30 a.m. without the child — just two and a half hours after the mother left Montrell with him, the source said.
On May 30, the mother and Montrell's grandmother went to Family Court to report the father had not returned the boy to her South Bronx home. A warrant was issued for the dad's arrest.
Cops were investigating her claims when on Sunday the mother confronted the father, demanding her son back.
During the frightening exchange, the father threatened the mom with a knife and told her he had thrown the child into the river, the police source said.
'She asked where their son was and he made concerning statements,' a second police source said.
The mother again called police, who took the father into custody for questioning early Monday. He was hauled into Family Court and then sent to Rikers Island when he wouldn't divulge the location of his son.
The search of the Bronx River began Monday and ended around 9:30 p.m.
NYPD divers dove back into the rain swept waters Tuesday.
As cops quizzed the dad Monday, they released a photo of Montrell and asked the public's help in finding the boy.
Neighbors at the Bronx apartment building where Montrell lived with his mother were left stunned at the news of the boy's disappearance. One neighbor recognized the photo of the young boy, who she described as 'friendly'.
'I seen the little boy. I always seen the mom,' the neighbor, who didn't want to be named. said. 'The mom takes the baby to daycare every day.'
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
With Josephine Stratman