Manhunt for father of baby found dead in East River after worried mom goes to police

Police believe the father may have fled the country

Police in New York have a strong lead in the investigation of an unresponsive infant found floating near the Brooklyn Bridge this weekend — but the main person of interest may have fled the country.

The New York Post reports that police believe they have identified the parents of the infant, who was pronounced dead shortly after it was spotted in the East River on Sunday. A worried mother went to police on Monday after seeing reports of an 8-month-old child pulled from the water near the South Street Seaport. Her child had spent the weekend with its father, her estranged partner, who did not return the infant to its mother on Sunday as scheduled.

According to the report, police immediately went to the father’s home in the Bronx, but could not locate him. Investigators now believe he may have fled to Thailand.

The 36-year-old woman’s baby fits the description of the infant pulled from the East River. Investigators reportedly scanned surveillance footage at the baby’s father’s address, which shows him leaving with the child but seen later without the baby.

Police have not identified the parents or the child, and are reportedly working with Thai authorities as well as searching locally.

An Oklahoma firefighter vacationing in New York reportedly first saw the baby bobbing in the water on Sunday afternoon, wearing only a diaper. That firefighter jumped into the water to pull the baby out as onlookers flagged down nearby police officers. An officer and the off-duty firefighter tried unsuccessfully to revive the infant.

Investigators are still working to determine how the baby died, and if it was still alive when it entered the water.

 

[Feature image: AP Photo/Robert Bumsted]