CT father facing upgraded charges in death of 2-year-old son found buried in Stamford park
The father of a 2-year-old found dead and buried in a park in Stamford in 2023 has been charged in connection with the child’s death.
Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 28, of Stamford has been charged with cruelty to persons, hindering prosecution, risk of injury to a minor, criminal violation of a protective order, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence and two counts of tampering with evidence, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Capt. Thomas Scanlon of the Stamford Police Department.
Ismalej-Gomez was held on $1 million following his arrest, which was the result of a lengthy investigation into the death of 2-year-old Liam Rivera.
Rivera was found buried in a shallow grave in Cummings Park on Jan. 2, 2023. Ismalej-Gomez, who was named a person of interest shortly after the boy’s body was found, was arrested on an unrelated violation of probation charge that night, records show.
Report: CT toddler found buried in park had multiple previous abuse incidents reported to state
“As the investigation unfolded, discrepancies arose regarding Ismalej-Gomez’s involvement in the events leading to Liam’s demise,” Scanlon said in a statement. “Subsequent evidence uncovered his potential complicity in actions endangering the child’s welfare in the days prior to his death.
“After a comprehensive investigation, investigators secured an arrest warrant for Ismalej-Gomez,” Scanlon said, adding that the case remains under investigation.
The child’s mother, Iris Rivera-Santos, was arrested in February 2023 and charged with intentional cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor, tampering with evidence and third-degree hindering prosecution in connection with the boy’s death.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit for Rivera-Santos, which does not include the child’s name, Rivera-Santos’s attorney called police on Jan. 2, 2023, to notify them that his client called him and said she had been held captive in her car for four days. She allegedly told her attorney that her toddler son was “gone and buried,” police wrote in the warrant affidavit for Rivera-Santos.
Rivera-Santos met police at a Dunkin’ and repeated her claims that she had been kidnapped following her son’s death, the warrant affidavit says. During interviews with investigators, Rivera-Santos said that her movements were controlled, including her access to her cellphone, but police said they had evidence to show her claim allegedly was not true, the warrant affidavit said.
Rivera-Santos also told police that on the day he died, the baby had been crying a lot and she thought it may have been because he had a dirty diaper.
Ismalej-Gomez was found in a taxi shortly after the boy’s body was found and arrested without incident on the probation violation, records show.
The warrant includes medical records for the boy, including an emergency room visit during which the parents claimed the boy fell off his bed and hurt his arm. Medical staff made contact with the state Department of Children and Families after it was determined that his injury, a spiral fracture, allegedly did not come from a fall, the warrant affidavit said.
Information from Courant staff writer Taylor Hartz was used in this report.