Authorities in New York have brought charges against a father after a body suspected to be of his 2-year-old missing son was retrieved from the Bronx River on Wednesday.
According to CBS News, 2-year-old Montrell Williams was with his father Arius Williams, 20, under a visitation order when the minor disappeared over a month ago. Court documents stated that surveillance video captured Williams disposing of a bag into the Bronx River.
And though authorities have yet to confirm the identity of the body that was retrieved from the river, sources said police are confident it is Montrell’s remains. The suspected victim’s cause of death is also yet to be disclosed by the medical examiner.
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Montrell went missing on May 10, and he was with his father the last time he was seen. Authorities said that on May 30, Montrell’s mother informed a family court that she was unable to establish contact with Williams. She also got in touch with authorities after she became worried about her son’s wellbeing following a confrontation with Williams.
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“I just pray right now that he be with peace with God right now,” the boy’s aunt, Alicia Williams, said. “He’s responsible for it. He’s responsible for this,” she also 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.”
The boy’s step-grandfather, Leroy Burton, also said Williams “got issues.”
“He got mental issues. He need help. Ne need a psych evaluation, that’s what he needs,” Burton added. “It’s Arius, but it wasn’t him. The physical body was Arius, but the mind wasn’t Arius.”
Williams has since been charged with murder and manslaughter, and he was arraigned before court on Thursday, CBS News reported. A judge also denied him bail as he was considered a flight risk.
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