Global manhunt for a father who threw his infant son into the East River, New York
Police have launched a global manhunt for a father who is alleged to have thrown his infant son into the East River on August 5, believing he may have escaped to Thailand.
Police in New York identified both parents of the 8-year-old boy who was found in the frigid waters off the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. After seeing news report about the discovery of the baby, the infant's mother walked into the Manhattan police precinct and told the authorities that she feared the baby might be hers as her estranged partner had not returned home with their young son earlier the same day. The child's father was supposed bring back the infant after his scheduled weekend visit.
WNBC-TV reported that the mother told the officers in the precinct that she believed the father was the one who threw the infant into the river. According to the New York Post, the child's father was not in his home in the Bronx when they went there to look for him later the same day.
Investigators on the case said surveillance footage showed that the father had been with his son earlier that day, but was later seen without him.
Authorities in New York said they are in contact with authorities in Thailand to try and find the runaway father. Investigators are still not sure if the infant was alive at the time he was thrown into the water.
The authorities have not revealed the identities of either parent as of now. There are, however, three pressing questions they want to be answered - how long was the infant in the river before a family from Oklahoma spotted him, why was he only wearing a diaper, and where were the adults who were supposed to be looking after the infant?
A medical examiner is yet to confirm how the boy died. The authorities have said that he did not show any signs of trauma. Oklahoma-based Diana Campbell was the first to notice the infant floating in the river at around 4 pm. Monte Campbell, her husband, waded into the shallow water close to the Manhattan shoreline and picked up the baby before he started performing CPR. Monte said: "She just called me over and said there was a baby in the water. I called 911. At that point, I thought it was a doll."
He then said that the baby had not been breathing and that he did not have a pulse. Officers arrived at the scene minutes after the 911 call and took the infant onto the pedestrian walkway. They continued to perform CPR before the child was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The police said that no parent or guardian had been present at the scene of the incident.
The East River that runs between Manhattan and Brooklyn is a tidal estuary that has very strong currents and is heavily trafficked. Both the shorelines are lined with parks, which are usually populated with tourists this time of year.