PHILADELPHIA, April 25 (UPI) -- The body of an infant allegedly abducted by her father and thrown from a bridge may have been found on the banks of a river in New Jersey, authorities say.
DNA tests may be needed to positively identify the body as that of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, missing since Feb. 16, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday.
Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem took Zara forcefully from her maternal grandmother's home in East Orange, N.J., police allege. Abdur-Raheem allegedly tried to run down the grandmother with a van when she tried to stop him from driving away with the infant, the Inquirer said.
Investigators say Abdur-Raheem, a college student, told them he threw the infant from his vehicle on a bridge over the Raritan River.
At the time of the abduction, the child's mother, Venetta Benjamin, was in court obtaining a protective order against Abdur-Raheem, the Inquirer said.
Abdur-Raheem has pleaded not guilty to a charge that he murdered his daughter. He is being held awaiting trial, with bail set at $2 million.
New Jersey Attorney General Paula Dow called the alleged incident "a horrific case of domestic violence."
