Father charged with killing toddler found in NY waterway

SYRACUSE, N.Y. --A central New York father has been charged with killing his 21-month old daughter, who is believed dead after a body was recovered from a Syracuse waterway Tuesday, according to police.

Ryan Lawrence, 24, vanished Saturday night with his daughter Maddox, leaving a message that he intended to hurt himself and possibly the child, reported CBS affiliate WTVH. Ryan Lawrence was wearing a disguise when he was arrested Monday afternoon in the village of Baldwinsville, 10 miles northwest of Syracuse, after a tipster saw an Amber Alert and called 911, Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler said at a press conference.

It wasn't until Tuesday afternoon that New York State Police divers recovered the body, believed to be Maddox, in frigid water near the Syracuse Inner Harbor.

Lawrence has been charged with second-degree murder and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning, Fowler said. Syracuse Police are hoping additional witnesses will come forward, so they're not releasing details about how they believe the girl died, according to Fowler.

He wouldn't say whether or not information provided by Lawrence led investigators to the waterway where the body was recovered. He praised the tipster who called 911 after spotting a person who matched Lawrence's description walking on a street Monday, saying the call was "instrumental" in the investigation.

At the press conference, Fowler told a reporter he couldn't speak to what may have triggered the alleged murder.

"What you're asking for me to do is follow a logical thought process to describe a very heinous and illogical act," Fowler said. "It just don't work that way."

Fowler said that the search for Maddox launched when police received a call from the child's mother late Saturday night. The woman told them that Ryan Lawrence, her husband, was supposed to pick her up from work that night at 10 p.m. Instead, she said, she got a phone call indicating that the car they share was in the parking lot with the key in the ignition, Fowler said.

The woman said she drove home expecting to find her husband and the child there. But the home was empty. She found the message, which raised her concern - and Fowler said it concerned police as well.

An Amber Alert was issued for the child, and by Sunday the New York State Police and the FBI had joined the investigation. On Tuesday, search crews zeroed in on the Syracuse Inner Harbor, where dive teams discovered the body just before 12:30 p.m., reported WTVH.

Fowler said investigators are awaiting an autopsy to confirm the child's identity, but said he was "unfortunately confident" that it is the girl.

"This is tough for all of us involved," Fowler said. "When you're talking about a child, you're talking about a special situation. Although every human being's life has a value, we're supposed to protect our children."

He urged anyone struggling with caring for a child to reach out to county agencies for help.

"As adults, we make our own decisions how we want to live our lives," Fowler said. "I think we owe our children under our care of custody the same right - to grow up, become adults and make their own choices in life. They deserve a chance."

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• Amber Alert