Bronx father charged with murder after 2-year-old son found in East River, police say

The father of a toddler who went missing in the Bronx last month has been charged with murder, manslaughter and menacing after prosecutors said the child was thrown alive off a bridge.

Arius Williams, 20, was arrested Wednesday night at the Bronx precinct that covers Hunts Point, the neighborhood where his 2-year-old son, Montrell Williams, was last seen on May 10, according to police.

The arrest came after authorities recovered a child’s body from the East River near the Whitestone Bridge. Law enforcement officials said the remains likely belonged to Montrell Williams.

Bronx Judge Daniel Lewis ordered Arius Williams held without bail. His attorneys left the court without comment.

At a Thursday arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, prosecutors said surveillance footage showed Arius Williams holding his son for more than an hour, including at one point when the child was seen standing, before allegedly throwing him over the bridge.

“We have evidence showing him throwing him over the bridge,” Assistant District Attorney Astrid Borgstedt said.

Arius Williams also allegedly threatened the child’s 17-year-old mother days later, pulling a knife on her and saying, “I threw that [epithet] in the river," Borgstedt said

Williams entered the courtroom in a tan jail uniform, casting a wide stare across the room. His hands were cuffed behind his back. He gave curt nods to the judge.

Outside the court, Williams’ father, Leroy Burton, said Arius Williams took his son from a family gathering on Mother’s Day and ran out of the house with him.

“I didn’t think he would do nothing like this,” Burton said before the arraignment. “Because Arius actually loved that baby. But I don’t know what happened.”

Burton said his son had a good relationship with the little boy before he “started changing.”

The boy's grandmother, Sabrina Williams, said Arius Williams started showing signs of mental health problems before the child’s disappearance. She and Burton said they filed at least five missing persons reports with the NYPD, but officers initially directed them to family court due to the couple’s custody arrangement.

“I know we made a lot of reports, but nothing was done,” Burton said.

Burton said police only launched a full search more than a month later, after the boy's mother confronted Arius Williams on the street.

Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the NYPD’s response is under review.

"We're still unraveling exactly what happened, were proper procedures followed,” he said. “This was a troubling series of events based on the actions of the dad in handling the child that we need to find out exactly what happened.”

This story has been updated with new information.