Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem of New Jersey was charged Wednesday with murder for allegedly throwing his 3-month-old daughter off a bridge in to the icy river below. Abdur-Raheem allegedly attacked the child's grandmother in her apartment and took the child away from her on Feb. 16. This was the same day that the child's mother was seeking a restraining order against him.
New Jersey Attorney General, Paula Dow, said that the search for the child was ongoing, and although no body has been found, murder charges can still be filed.
"While our ongoing exhaustive search has not located the victim, we are moving forward with our investigation and our pursuit of justice in this tragic case of domestic violence," Dow said in a statement.
Abdur-Raheem pleaded not guilty to attempted murder last week. He is being represented by a public defender and remains in the Essex County jail. His bail is $2 million, and he faces up to 30 years in prison.
The child, Zara Malani-lin Abdur, was being taken care of by her mother and grandmother. Her mother, Venetta Benjamin, had sole custody of her daughter but left her with her grandmother when she was out seeking a restraining order. The child's grandmother was struck by a van being driven by the defendant as he tried to leave with the child. Abdur-Raheem was arrested when a family member called police.
The case has led to questions by the attorney general's office about state guidelines for Amber Alerts. There were some who wondered why no Amber Alert was issued during the four-hour window between the abduction and arrest. Paul Loriquet, a spokesman, stated that Amber Alerts are not typically issued in custody disputes or parental abduction cases. He argues that this keeps from overwhelming the Emergency Broadcast System and weakening the affect that the alerts have on the public.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here. 
Comments: (5)
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By: Tiffany on 2/25/2010 10:15AM
Trash!
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By: The truth on 2/25/2010 6:11PM
Here's the reality. This scumbag will grind the wheels of the justice system to halt as he represents himself then fires assistant after assistant until he's eventually sentenced to the maximum 30 year term for his hate crime. He hated the fact he was not in control and to prove his point destroyed a viable human existance. While in jail he'll have so many rights your head would spin if you only knew. how do I know?...I work in a prison and deal with these wannabe scumbags all day. He sucks and needs to die. I volunteer to pull the switch!! Just look at the look on his face. The smug (I don't care attutude). Please tell me the death penalty applies in this case!!
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By: Nancy on 2/26/2010 10:04PM
Dr. Watkins:
Why are you including a story about this horrible person on your website? I hope you don't think he was unfairly charged? Prosecutor Paula Dow is a brilliant and caring black woman who is personally involved in the community. There is no injustice here.
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By: claudia on 2/28/2010 11:48AM
Why wasnt it a Amber Alert. Immediately when a white child is missing or taken from thier mother even by their father. A Amber Alert goes out quickly and is the on the news all day long about the child missing. This man threw this poor child off of a bridge just to hurt the mother. And no Ambert Alert was issued. I blame the city and their unconcern efforts to look for this monster. Paul, you personally is a liar. Anytime a man hits the grandmother with a car, shows that this man is capable of doing just about anything. Paul you just felt that a black child wasnt interesting enough to pursue a Amber Alert for her. It makes me mad that nothing was done to help this little girl. Shame on you people, she was innocent and human too.
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By: claudia on 2/28/2010 11:53AM
It's sad that this monster will sit in jail eating, drinking and sleeping off of my hard earned tax dollars free.
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