Iris Rivera-Santos: Connecticut mother arrested after 2-year-old son Liam's body found buried inside plastic bag in park
STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT: The mother of a toddler whose body was discovered buried in a nearby park a month ago has been detained by Stamford police. According to a press release from the Stamford Police Department on February 3, Iris Rivera-Santos, 29, is accused of endangering the welfare of a child, obstructing justice, tampering with evidence, and cruelty to persons.
Previously, police claimed to have discovered Liam Rivera, 2, hidden in a garbage bag near Cummings Park on January 2. They identified his 26-year-old father Edgar Ismalej-Gomez as the suspect, but no homicide charges were made public. Though they had previously claimed that the boy's father had detained Iris for days at gunpoint, they now say that she bears some legal blame for what happened to the young child.
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“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,” police wrote. “Rivera-Santos is currently in the custody of the Stamford Police Department and is held on a 1 million dollar bond.”
The police initially stated that they had received a call regarding a potential kidnapping and injury to a child, as per Law & Crime. “Further information we received led us to Cummings Park,” police said last month. “Officers responded and the preliminary information was that the two year old may have been buried in an area of Cummings Park.” Cops discovered Liam inside a plastic bag. They identified Ismalej-Gomez as the suspect and claimed to have detained him. According to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the infant suffered "multiple blunt force traumas to the head" before his death.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said at the 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.”
Liam's dad broke the tot's arm in 2021
According to online records, Ismalej-Gomez is still detained on a $3 million bond for allegedly breaking the terms of his probation for third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The probation breach is related to a 2021 incident in which he shattered Liam's arm. Although he was given a five-year sentence, as part of a plea deal, he was released from jail in May 2022 after serving just 60 days. Authorities claim that despite the fact that he stopped attending probation meetings in June, lost communication with his probation officer for months, and stopped attending parenting classes as mandated by the court, he eventually returned to live with Rivera and Rivera-Santos.
Iris was kept at gunpoint for days
According to reports, both parents buried Rivera at Cummings Park after Ismalej-Gomez discovered him dead in his room. This information was apparently provided by Supervisory State's Attorney Michelle Manning during the father's arraignment last month. According to investigators, he forced the mother to travel back and forth from West Virginia while being kept at gunpoint for several days. She eventually made it out, bought a phone, and made a call to her lawyer. Officers were contacted by the lawyer.
“She was under duress and threat,” Assistant Police Chief Richard Conklin said at the time. “We’re trying to shed some clarity on what happened. The first time we spoke to her, she hadn’t eaten properly and hadn’t slept from the trauma.”