A mum was filmed appearing to push her autistic son into a canal in what police say was her first attempt to kill him.
Patricia Ripley, 45, is claimed to have tried to drown son Alejandro Ripley but witnesses rescued the boy before she later succeeded a second time.
Police say she then claimed the nine-year-old was abducted by two black men to try and explain his disappearance.
The body of Alejandro, who was unable to speak, was found floating in a Miami canal on Friday.
Ripley is facing attempted and premeditated murder charges.
The horrifying footage obtained by Univision shows Ripley walking with son, stroking his head, before she appears to push him into the water.
She runs off screen before returning with neighbours who saved the boy.
In an interview on Saturday, Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Ripley allegedly tried to drown her son an hour earlier at a different canal but nearby residents heard yelling and rescued him.
She said Ripley then drove her son to another canal at the Miccosukee Golf and Country Club where she succeeded in drowning him.
"Unfortunately when she took him to the second canal, and there was no one there," she said.
"She tried it once, and people rescued him. He was alive. He could have stayed alive. She intended, from all the facts of the case, to kill him."
Aldo Ripley, the boys dad, broke down in tears after a bail hearing on Saturday.
He said: "We love Alejandro, and we got aggrieved with whatever they said about my wife. It's not real."
"I don’t agree with whatever they’ve said about my wife."
He told 7News : 'The only thing I’ll say is that we love our life.'
Alejandro’s brother wrote online: "For those who know my family, brother, mother, father, you guys know. Thank you and God bless.'
Ms Rundle said Ripley is being held in jail with no bail and an autopsy was being done to determine if Alejandro he had other injuries or something toxic in his system.
She added no decision has been made yet on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty if she is found guilty of murdering her son.
Ms Rundle also said that because Alejandrol was unable to speak he could not have told his rescuers what had happened with his mum.
Lawyer, Nelson Rodriguez-Varela, said he was gathering a legal team so Ripley is able to clear her "good name" adding that there was a lot of support for her and by all accounts she has been an "excellent mum".
