N.J. Dad Indicted In Death Of Baby Thrown Off Bridge

NEWARK, N.J. (CBS 2/AP) -- A New Jersey father was indicted Monday on kidnapping and murder charges for allegedly throwing his infant daughter off a bridge and into the Raritan River in February.

Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem faces six counts related to the abduction and death of his 3-month-old daughter, Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem, whose body was found in April.

The 22-year-old Galloway Township man also faces attempted murder charges for allegedly assaulting the baby's maternal grandmother, who was caring for the infant while the child's mother was obtaining a restraining order against Abdur-Raheem.

A spokesman for the public defender's office, which is representing Abdur-Raheem, declined to comment.

The child had been missing since Feb. 16, when her biological father allegedly abducted her and threw her from the Driscoll Bridge on the Garden State Parkway. In May, DNA testing confirmed that the infant found on the bank of the Raritan River on April 24 was that of Zara Malani-Lin Abdur-Raheem.

Prosecutors believe Shamsid-Din Abdur-Raheem killed his daughter hours after taking her from her grandmother's apartment in East Orange.

The baby's body was found by people walking on the south bank of the river. Her clothing matched descriptions given to police when she disappeared.

"She was a nice baby, cute baby," neighbor Miseret Murdock told CBS 2. "I was shedding tears."

Abdur-Raheem remains in the Essex County Jail on $2 million bail.

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