Mom Says Baby Was Thrown Into East River by Dad: Sources

What to Know

• Authorities have identified the parents of the baby boy found floating in the East River Sunday, sources say[hhmc]

• They have spoken with the baby's mother and are searching for the father, who's believed to have fled the country to southeast Asia[hhmc]

• Tourists saw the baby floating in the water near the Brooklyn Bridge, and one jumped in to bring him to shore. The baby didn't survive[hhmc]

Investigators have identified and made contact with the mother of the eight-month-old baby found floating in the East River over the weekend, and are searching for the father, who's believed to be on the run, law enforcement sources say.

The baby's mother has told investigators the child's father threw him into the East River Sunday afternoon and fled the country, sources said. He's believed to be headed to southeast Asia.

The baby was discovered near the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge Sunday just after 4 p.m. A tourist from Oklahoma saw the child floating in the water and jumped in to bring him ashore, then tried to resuscitate him, witnesses and police said.

The boy, who was wearing only a diaper, did not survive.

Few Answers in NYC East River Baby Mystery

Monte Campbell, the tourist from Stillwater, Oklahoma, who jumped into the water, said it was his wife Diana who first spotted the baby's body.

"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," said Campbell. He jumped into the water and brought the baby ashore, performing CPR until help arrived.

Police said they moved the child from the embankment to the pedestrian walkway and continued CPR until an ambulance came. Diana Campbell said her husband didn't feel a pulse.

A backpack was floating near the baby, she said. It was also recovered.

It wasn't clear how long the baby had been in the water. He had no obvious signs of trauma to his body; the medical examiner will determine how he died.

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NBC

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