New York City is reeling from the deeply disturbing case of Montrell W., a two-year-old boy whose body was tragically recovered from a river nearly a month after he vanished while with his father. The father, 20-year-old Arius W., is now under arrest and considered a person of interest in his son's death, facing potential homicide charges. This case has also sparked significant criticism regarding how law enforcement initially handled the desperate pleas of the child's mother.
On May 10, Montrell was with his father for a court-approved visit during a Mother's Day family gathering. After an argument with his own mother, Arius reportedly left the gathering with Montrell, and the child was never seen alive again.
Montrell's 17-year-old mother grew increasingly worried when she couldn't get updates on her son. She reported him missing to the police that very evening. However, officers initially logged it as a domestic dispute, and no detectives were assigned. For weeks, the family's repeated pleas to treat Montrell as a missing child were reportedly dismissed, as authorities maintained that since the boy was with his father during a visitation, there was no immediate cause for alarm.
The situation only escalated on May 30, when the child's mother, after receiving unsettling comments from Arius about doing "something" to their son, filed a custodial interference report. Still, Arius remained uncooperative about Montrell's whereabouts.
A crucial turning point came on June 7, when Montrell's mother encountered Arius on the street and confronted him about their son. Instead of answering, Arius allegedly pulled a knife on her. She immediately called 911, leading to his arrest.
Following the arrest, investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed Arius and Montrell near the river on the night the child disappeared. Police Commissioner J. Tisch revealed that video even captured someone throwing an object off a bridge into the river that same evening.
Heartbreakingly, on June 12, nearly a month after he went missing, a child's body was found in the river. The description of the remains, including the clothing — a Calvin Klein T-shirt and a diaper — matched Montrell. While final identification awaits an autopsy, police informed the family that it was likely their missing son.
Arius, who had already been taken into custody for contempt of court after refusing to tell a Family Court judge where Montrell was, remains in jail. Prosecutors are building a criminal case that could lead to serious charges like homicide or manslaughter once the medical examiner's report is complete.
The police department is now under intense scrutiny for its slow initial response. Montrell's family members are vocal about their frustration, claiming they were repeatedly ignored. A social media post believed to be from Montrell's mother expressed the painful sentiment: "If this was a white baby, they’d be on it immediately.” Commissioner Tisch has stated that the department is reviewing how the initial complaint was handled.
Adding to the tragic details, it has surfaced that Arius had a prior arrest for assaulting Montrell's mother when she was only 15. The outcome of that earlier case is unclear.
As the community mourns young Montrell, calls for justice grow louder, not only for his death but also for accountability regarding the systemic failures that may have delayed the critical search for him.
