STAMFORD, Connecticut — A man was arrested on Tuesday, a day after the body of a 2-year-old boy was found buried in a Stamford, Connecticut park.
Stamford Police Department said, according to WVIT, that they received a call just before noon on Monday about a possible kidnapping and an injured child.
According to WVIT, officials reportedly learned that the child may be buried in Cummings Park. Officers searching the area around the park reportedly found an area where it appeared that the dirt was disturbed. This was where they found a child buried in a plastic bag.
The chief medical examiner’s office determined that the child was murdered and case the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, according to WVIT.
WABC identified the 2-year-old as Liam Rivera.
Officials said the boy’s father, Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 26, was a person of interest. According to WABC, Ismalej-Gomez is a convicted felon who has a history of child abuse.
“The Stamford Police Department would like to offer our condolences to the family on such a heinous incident. We have already put into place numerous resources which we have availed to the family through our department, DCF, and the City of Stamford,” said SPD Chief Shaw.
Prosecutors said that after Ismalej-Gomez killed Liam, he kept Liam’s mother captive at gunpoint for four days, according to WABC. Both the woman and Ismalej-Gomez drove to West Virginia prior to returning to Stamford. Once back, the woman reportedly contacted an attorney who called the police.
“I want to commend the men and women of the Stamford Police Department for their swift and heroic action over the past 24 hours. This situation is a horrific and unimaginable tragedy for our community and my heart breaks for the tragic loss of 2-year-old Liam Rivera. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time. I have full faith in the Stamford Police Department that the facts will be uncovered as this investigation continues. My office will do everything we can to support and provide resources to our police officers involved in this incident, as well as postvention services to the family involved in this untimely death situation. I am committed to working in partnership with Chief Shaw and his team to ensure justice is served in this investigation,” said Stamford’s Mayor Simmons.
Ismalej-Gomez was pulled over in a taxi on the way to New York around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, according to WABC.
Ismalej-Gomez is being held on a $3,000,000 bond for an outstanding warrant for violation of probation. SPD also identified Ismalej-Gomez as the suspect in Liam’s death.
Murder charges are pending, according to WABC.
SPD said, according to WABC, that Ismalej-Gomez was arrested in Aug. 2021 for reportedly breaking Liam’s arm when he was 8 months old. He served 60 days in prison and was given three years of probation in a plea deal.
The Stamford Advocate reported that there was a protective order prohibiting Ismalej-Gomez from having contact with Liam. However, Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning said that he was reportedly living with Liam and his mother for the last few weeks. During the arraignment Tuesday, Manning said that Liam was found dead a week ago after Ismalej-Gomez went into his room.
Ismalej-Gomez is reportedly expected back in court on Feb. 8, according to the Stamford Advocate.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information has been released.
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