A woman who threw herself into the Niagara river in an alleged bid to save her son from his dad’s suspected attempt to kill him has died.

The Fort Erie mum of two, 29 and who is yet to be formally identified, reportedly chased the son’s father on Friday night as he reportedly clutched the five-year-old boy before diving into the river with him.

It is claimed she jumped into the water to rescue her five-year-old son, from 28-year-old Joshawa Raymond Douglas Brooks.

But she soon found herself struggling in the waters and despite being rescued by a passerby who dived in to help her, she died in hospital on Saturday.

Joshawa Raymond Douglas Brooks allegedly attempted to kill his five-year-old son

A body, thought to be that of Brooks, was also recovered by Niagara Regional Police around the Old Coal Docks at around 1pm on Saturday.

Her son survived and is now recovering with family after Bob Steckley, the same man who tried saving his mother, brought him to safety.

Police took to the river on Saturday afternoon to begin their search following the attack
Police said Brooks was known to them previously 

Witnesses at the scene reported the boy was shouting for help while his father held him as he headed towards to the river and jumped over a breakwall.

Mr Steckley had been in his driveway when he heard the commotion and ran towards the shoreline with some lifejackets.

Recollecting the boy’s look as he was allegedly being carried to his death, he told iHeart Radio: “His eyes were huge as I came towards him. He was starting to go under, splashing around.”

The body of the 28-year-old was recovered from the river
Brooks was known to police prior to the incident on Friday night, the force confirmed.

“This investigation is not over yet, there are still a lot of ‘whys’ to sort out,” said Gavin, Canadia news outlet The Star reports.