NEW YORK (BN24) — A 20-year-old father has been charged with the murder of his 2-year-old son, Montrell Williams, after surveillance video allegedly captured him throwing the child into the Bronx River, New York City police said Thursday.
Arius Williams was arrested and formally charged with two counts each of murder and manslaughter. The child was reported missing on May 10, and investigators now believe the boy was killed later that same evening.
According to law enforcement sources, video footage reviewed by detectives shows Williams lifting the toddler and hurling him into the river. The chilling act is believed to have occurred the night Montrell was last seen.
On Wednesday afternoon, a child’s body—believed to be Montrell’s—was discovered along the shoreline near the Whitestone Bridge by Ferry Point Park in Queens. Sources said the body, badly decomposed, was wrapped in a blanket and dressed in a diaper with a single sock remaining on one foot. Official identification is pending.
Montrell’s disappearance followed a contentious family dispute. Sources said Williams had attended a Mother’s Day gathering on May 10 with Montrell, during which he reportedly clashed with his own father before leaving with the child.
In the following days, Montrell’s 17-year-old mother contacted police, concerned about her son’s safety. However, officers reportedly informed her that they were unable to act because the child was with his father during a scheduled custody visit.
On Sunday, the situation escalated further when the parents encountered each other on the street. Williams allegedly brandished a knife and claimed he had thrown Montrell from the Bruckner Bridge, according to sources familiar with the case.
Williams was initially arrested Monday on charges of custodial interference after refusing to disclose the child’s whereabouts during a family court hearing. The murder and manslaughter charges were filed following the discovery of the body and further investigation.
The case has sparked renewed scrutiny of custody enforcement procedures and child welfare protocols.
