NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A body believed to be of a missing 2-year-old boy from the Bronx was found in the East River, near the Whitestone Bridge, on Wednesday, sources told 1010 WINS, as his father remained in custody.
The body of a 2-year-old Black male was found around 12:45 p.m. by the NYPD's harbor unit, according to the sources.
The sources said it appears to be the missing child, Montrell Williams, though the investigation was ongoing Wednesday afternoon.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the case "heart-wrenching" Wednesday and said the department was doing everything to get answers.
"Unfortunately, the baby's father is a person of interest in the disappearance of the 2-year-old child," Tisch said. "We do have him in custody at this time, charged with custodial interference. Unfortunately, we have a video of a man throwing something over a bridge into the Bronx River. So we have had our scuba and harbor teams out there."
NYPD dive teams began searching the Bronx River on Tuesday for Williams, who hasn't been seen in weeks after a visit with his father.
The NYPD said his 20-year-old father had visitation rights and legally took him on May 10—but he never brought the boy back to his 17-year-old mother that night, and she reported him missing.
On Monday, the mom saw the father and asked about the child. He allegedly pulled a knife and told her the boy was in the Bronx River, prompting her to call police, who are now investigating.
The dad was questioned at a police station on Monday, and has been in custody for the alleged knife incident.
Mayor Eric Adams weighed in on the investigation on Tuesday, saying, "We need to find out exactly what happened. We're still praying that the child is all right. We don't know the final outcome."