Father of missing Bronx 2-year-old Montrell Williams charged with murder and manslaughter
The father of a missing Bronx child whose body was believed to have been pulled from the East River on Wednesday is now facing murder and manslaughter charges.
Arius Williams, 20, appeared before a judge for arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court on Thursday evening. He had initially just been charged with custodial inference.
He is being held without bail after the judge deemed him a flight risk.
Montrell Williams, a 2-year-old, has been missing for more than a month, police said.
Court documents reveal that Arius Williams was allegedly seen on surveillance video throwing a bag off a bridge into the Bronx River. The toddler was in his custody under a visitation order.
Montrell Williams has been missing more than a month
The official identification of the body is pending, but sources said police believe the body is indeed Montrell Williams.
The body was recovered shortly after noon Wednesday off the shore of Ferry Point Park.
The medical examiner is determining the cause of death.
Police had been searching the Bronx River for Williams since Monday. He had been missing since May 10, when he was last seen with his father in Hunts Point.
Police sources said the boy's mother went to family court on May 30, claiming she couldn't get ahold of her son's father. She again contacted authorities after allegedly having a confrontation with the father on Monday, which left her fearing for her son's safety.
A vigil was held on a bridge over the Bronx River on Wednesday night, as Montrell's family waited for the body to be officially identified.
"He's responsible for this ... I want to see him suffer"
The boy's step-grandfather, Leroy Burton, said the family is devastated, and his aunt, Alicia Williams, said her heart is broken, adding, "I just pray right now that he be with peace with God right now."
Burton also spoke about Arius Williams.
"He got issues. He got mental issues. He need help. Ne need a psych evaluation, that's what he needs," Burton said. "It's Arius, but it wasn't him. The physical body was Arius, but the mind wasn't Arius."
Burton told CBS News New York that Arius Williams loved his child.
"He's responsible for it. He's responsible for this," Arius Williams' aunt, Alicia Williams, said. "I want to see him suffer like he made the baby suffer, for real, I want to see him suffer like he made the baby suffer."
NYPD internal review of the case is underway
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday that part of the investigation is an internal review of how the case has been handled.
"We are looking into the initial reports to the police department and of the missing child and how those were handled, but I want to be very clear: The NYPD takes any case of a missing person very seriously," Tisch said.
That includes looking into an apparent lapse in putting the child's photo out to the public, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said.
