‘I wish I was dead’: Mother of the baby who was killed ‘when father threw him into river’ tells of grief

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder as police appeal for footage of the tragic incident

Zakari William Bennett-Eko was found in the River Irwell (Facebook)

A mother whose baby son died after reportedly being thrown into a river has described him as “my whole world and so much more”.

Emma Blood paid tribute to the 11 month-old, who has been named locally as Zakari Bennett, in a post on her Facebook page.

“I love my little boy and did everything for him,” she wrote. “I am alive, although I wish I was dead. Let me grieve for my child.”

A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after the child was reportedly thrown into the River Irwell in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, on Wednesday afternoon.

Police and firefighters pulled him from the water at around 4.25pm but the baby died shortly after arriving at hospital.

Detectives have urged witnesses who recorded the incident to send the footage to Greater Manchester Police.

“This is an incredibly tragic incident which has taken the life of a baby boy, who we believe is only around 11-months-old,” said Detective Inspector Wes Knights, who is leading the investigation.

Flowers left on a bridge over the River Irwell in Radcliffe following the death of the baby boy (PA)

“We currently have a suspect in custody, who will be questioned by detectives later today, however, our investigation does not stop there and we need anybody with information to come forward and help us get answers for this little boy’s loved ones.

“We know that there were a significant number of witnesses to what happened and I want to urge those people to come forward and provide us with as much detail as they can. It’s also possible that other people may have information about the circumstances leading up to the incident, as we know the baby had been in the area for a number of hours beforehand.

“Given the time this happened and the large number of witnesses present, we know that some of the incident was captured in images or on video so I want to ask people to provide these to the investigation team, via Dropbox.”

Police also urged the public to avoid speculation about the circumstances of the death or who was involved.

Det Insp Knights added: “His family have understandably been left devastated by what has happened and we have specially trained officers providing them with support at this difficult time.”

In her Facebook post, which has since been deleted, Ms Blood angrily defended herself from comments made by other users about the death of the child.

She wrote: “I didn’t know anything that had happened until 7pm. I didn’t know my child was dead until I got to A & E.

“We sat with him for hours, we held him, we kissed him and then I left. I’m no crappy parent...

“I lost my baby today. I am alive, although I wish I was dead. Let me grieve for my child, my whole world and so much more.”

Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the baby and a postmortem examination is due to take place on Friday.

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 8797 or 101, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Images or video of the incident can be sent to police via Dropbox using scd.cctv@gmp.police