The grandparents of a little boy found dead in the Murray River following his mother's arrest on a charge of attempted murder are said to be shocked and heartbroken over his death.
Although yet to be formally identified, police believe the body to be that of the five-year-old whose mother they allege tried to drown both her sons in the river on the NSW-Victoria border on Thursday.
Police divers made the discovery in a section of the waterway near town of Moama about 11.35am on Saturday. Meanwhile, his nine-year-old brother remains in care in hospital.
A lawyer for the boys' grandparents, Dale Brooks, says the family is devastated.
"They are simply heartbroken," he told AAP on Saturday evening.
Mr Brooks said the grandparents were in a state of shock but rallying behind their older grandson, who is in a stable condition at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
They thanked the public for their support and concern but also requested privacy as they come to terms with what has happened, he added.
It's alleged the woman took her two sons to the river about 5.30pm on Thursday.
Police say she tried to keep both boys underwater but the nine-year-old wiggled free.
He sustained serious bites from a dog, which was reacting to the incident, and was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
A search was launched to find the missing child, who was last seen in the water. The mother handed herself into police at Echuca about 10pm on Thursday.
The search resumed on Friday but the boy was not located.
Following the discovery of the body on Saturday, locals began leaving tributes near the site where police conducted the search.
"He was so little. Five years old, he's barely lived," one woman said after she and her young daughter placed a bouquet of flowers on a chain metal fence overlooking the river, off Perricoota Road.
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