Police searched Sunday for an uncle from Passaic accused of taking his 3-year-old niece from her home and killing her.

Authorities say Juan Mendez, 21, left his family's Passaic home early Saturday morning with 3-year-old Janiay Rievas. Police discovered Janiay's body in the Passaic River close to 8 a.m.

Mendez's mother and Janiay's grandmother, Eileen Camejo, says she saw the two leave her home close to 6 a.m. Saturday and noticed Janiay wasn't fully dressed. She woke Janiay's mother to find out Mendez did not have permission to take his niece out.

Camejo denies that Mendez was addicted to drugs or that he told her to watch the news as he was leaving with Janiay, as police have said.

Police believe Mendez fled on foot after they found his car on the Gregory Avenue Bridge.