Man told his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend he threw their 2-year-old son into the river and threatened her with a knife when questioned about the boy’s whereabouts; arrested
New York – In a deeply unsettling case in New York, a 20-year-old father, identified as Arius W., is under arrest and at the center of a growing criminal investigation after allegedly throwing his 2-year-old son into the river during a visitation, then threatening the child’s mother with a knife when she pressed him for answers. The child, Montrell W., was later found dead in the river, and the investigation has raised serious questions about law enforcement’s early handling of the case.
Arius is currently facing charges of custodial interference and has been labeled a person of interest in the toddler’s disappearance and death. Investigators say that on May 10, Arius had custody of Montrell for a court-approved visit tied to a Mother’s Day family gathering. That evening, after an argument with his own mother at their apartment, Arius fled the gathering with his son. It was the last time Montrell was seen alive.
Montrell’s 17-year-old mother quickly grew concerned when she received no updates on her child’s whereabouts. She reported the situation to police that same evening, but no detectives were assigned to the case, as officers initially logged it as a domestic matter. For weeks, the mother and her family reportedly pleaded with the police department to treat the child as missing, but authorities maintained that since the boy was with his father during a visitation period, there was no immediate cause for alarm.
It wasn’t until May 30 that authorities took more decisive action. That day, after receiving troubling comments from Arius — including that he had done something to their son — the child’s mother filed a custodial interference report. Still, the father remained elusive and refused to disclose the child’s location. A breakthrough came on June 7, when Montrell’s mother ran into Arius on a street and demanded to know where their son was. Instead of responding, Arius allegedly pulled a knife on her. She immediately called 911, and police arrested him at the scene.
Authorities began searching the area around the river, aided by surveillance footage showing Arius and the child nearby on the night Montrell vanished. Police Department Commissioner J. Tisch revealed that investigators had recovered video of someone throwing an object off a bridge into the river that same evening. On June 12, nearly a month after the boy’s disappearance, a child’s body was recovered from the river. The remains were consistent with Montrell’s description and clothing — he had last been seen wearing a Calvin Klein T-shirt and a diaper. Though final identification is pending an autopsy, family members were told by police that the body likely belonged to the missing child.
Arius was taken into custody earlier that week for contempt of court after refusing to tell a Family Court judge where Montrell was during a hearing regarding the custody order. He remains held in jail. Prosecutors are currently building a criminal case that could lead to homicide or manslaughter charges once the medical examiner’s report is finalized. The police department has also come under intense scrutiny for its initial response. Family members say they repeatedly tried to report the child missing but were dismissed by officers who claimed no crime had been committed. Commissioner Tisch has stated that the department is reviewing how the initial complaint was handled.
Montrell’s family has expressed deep frustration with how slowly the investigation progressed. “We called the police multiple times, and they did absolutely nothing,” read a social media post that appears to have come from Montrell’s mother. “If this was a white baby, they’d be on it immediately.” The boy’s extended family took to social media and posted flyers in the absence of police action. Many are now demanding accountability from law enforcement while coping with the painful loss of a child who should have been protected.
Arius’ prior history also emerged in the aftermath — he had previously been arrested for assaulting Montrell’s mother when she was just 15. What became of that case remains unclear. As the community mourns the loss of young Montrell, the investigation into his death and the broader systemic failures surrounding it continues. Authorities have yet to announce any upgraded charges against Arius, but calls for justice grow louder each day.
