Baby thrown off bridge still missing; survival odds slim

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey officials searching for a baby believed to have been thrown off a bridge by her father acknowledge her chances of survival are slim by now.

Teams with boats, dogs and helicopters have found no sign of 3-month-old Zara Malani-lin Abdur in their third day of searching under a river bridge on the Garden State Parkway.

State Police Sgt. Julian Castellanos says the mission is still a rescue attempt even though the odds of a baby surviving this long are slim.

Authorities say Shamsiddi Abdur-Raheem snatched the child from her grandmother's East Orange apartment while the mother was getting a restraining order Tuesday.

The 21-year-old is being held on $700,000 bail and faces arraignment in Newark on Thursday. He is charged with kidnapping, attempted murder aggravated assault and child endangerment.

Read Dr. Boyce Watkins take on this tragic incident here.