Mother Charged In Connection With 2-Year-Old's Death: Stamford Police

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Police Department announced on Friday that the mother of Liam Rivera, the 2-year-old child who was found dead and buried in Cummings Park last month, has been arrested.

Iris Rivera-Santos, 29, was arrested Friday morning around 9:45 a.m., and charged with risk of injury to a minor, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and cruelty to persons, Capt. Thomas Scanlon and Lt. Douglas Deiso said in a news release. She is being held on $1 million bond.

"These charges are the result of an extensive investigation that was conducted over the previous weeks in conjunction with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office," Scanlon and Deiso said. "This investigations is a priority of this department and remains active."

Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 26, of Stamford, remains in custody after he was arrested in connection with his son's death last month. Ismalej-Gomez was charged with violation of probation stemming from an arrest in 2021, police said.

Police said they received information on Jan. 2 in reference to a possible kidnapping and a child who may have been harmed and buried in the area of Cummings Park.

Officers responded to the park and found fresh dirt that was disturbed, police said. Officers then unearthed a plastic bag containing the boy's remains. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the boy's death a homicide by multiple blunt force injuries to the head.

Ismalej-Gomez was identified as a person of interest, and investigators worked with local agencies such as the Norwalk Police Department, CT State Police, Westchester County Police and the FBI to locate him.

Investigators searched throughout the day and into the night, and early on Jan. 3 at approximately 1:15 a.m., Stamford officers were alerted by a member of the community about a person fitting the description of Ismalej-Gomez.

About 15 minutes later, officers pulled over a taxi containing Ismalej-Gomez on West Main Street and he was arrested without incident, police said.

The Stamford Advocate said that according to Supervisory State's Attorney Michelle Manning, Rivera was found dead in the preceding days after Ismalej-Gomez went to his son's room. Ismalej-Gomez refused to let Rivera-Santos call an ambulance, the Advocate reported. Rivera was then buried at Cummings Park.

In court on Jan. 3, prosecutors said Ismalej-Gomez held Rivera-Santos captive at gunpoint after the boy died, and the two traveled to West Virginia and back to Stamford, News 12 CT reported.

When they returned to Connecticut, Rivera-Santos called her attorney who alerted police, News 12 CT said.

Ismalej-Gomez is scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court on Feb. 8, according to the CT Judicial Branch website.

Read more from Stamford Advocate and News 12.