Sources: NYPD Looking For Father Of Infant Pulled From East River Near Brooklyn Bridge
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police on Tuesday said they were learning more about what happened before the discovery of an infant whose body was found floating in the East River over the weekend.
Tourists from Oklahoma spotted the approximately eight-month-old boy floating about 30 feet off shore near the Brooklyn Bridge just after 2 p.m.
MORE: Infant's Body Pulled From East River Near Brooklyn Bridge, Cops Say
"We called 911 immediately," said tourist Austin Campbell. "They told my dad not to jump in the water. It had only been five minutes since we'd seen it, so he jumped in the water, pulled out the baby, started doing CPR for about five minutes but then the cops showed up and paramedics took it in the ambulance."
The child was pronounced dead at NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital. A source tells CBS2 the child's mother told police she shares custody with the boy's father, and that he had the child for visitation on Sunday. That source continued, saying the mother contacted police after a period of time passed to say the father never returned.
Police took down a custodial interference report. With the report of the baby boy found in the water, investigators linked the two cases. It's believed the father has since fled the country.
The Medical Examiner's Office continues to work to determine the child's cause of death as police actively search for his father.
