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Police Think They've Found Mother Of Dead Baby Recovered From East River
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2018
Modified Aug 8, 2018
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2018
Modified Aug 8, 2018
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The NYPD believes they have identified the parents of the baby who died after tourists spotted him floating in the East River on Sunday.
"We are in contact with a thirty-six year old female whom we believe is the mother of the infant recovered from the East River. On 08-06-18 the mother filed a domestic incident report with the Department. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet determined the cause of death of the infant. The investigation is continuing," the police said in a statement on Tuesday.
On Sunday afternoon, Diana Campbell, a tourist from Oklahoma, saw the baby, who was only wearing diapers, in the East River near Manhattan, by South Street and Dover Street. Her husband went into the water to rescue the child. She said, "You could see its little legs just floating and his head was in the water. My husband was like 'I have to go in.'"
He performed CPR, as did police officers who responded, but the baby, estimated to be eight months old, was pronounced dead at NY Downtown Hospital.
According to the Post, the baby's mother "walked into a Manhattan station house late Monday and said she was worried because her estranged partner hadn’t returned their son earlier in the day after a scheduled weekend visit, sources said. The 36-year-old Bronx woman told cops she feared the worst when she saw a news report about the approximately 8-month-old boy pulled from the water at about 4 p.m. Sunday, according to sources."
Apparently police have "uncovered surveillance video of the dad with the baby and then later without the baby, sources told the News."
The father has reportedly left the country and may be in Thailand. The NYPD is holding a press conference at 2 p.m. with more details about the incident.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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