The Stamford Police Department recently announced that Iris Rivera-Santos, a 29-year-old mother from Connecticut, has been arrested on multiple charges, including the risk of injury to a minor, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution, and cruelty to persons as reported by Law & Crime.
This arrest comes a month after police named the boy’s father, Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 26, as the suspect in the death of their 2-year-old son, Liam Rivera.
The officers initially received a call regarding a possible kidnapping and harm to a child. Upon further investigation, they found Rivera buried at Cummings Park in a plastic bag on January 2.
Even though the father allegedly held the mother at gunpoint for days, the police claim that Rivera-Santos still has some degree of legal responsibility for the incident.
As reported by the Stamford Advocate police say, “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.
In addition, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner concluded that the child died due to multiple blunt-force traumas to the head. Rivera-Santos is currently held in the custody of the Stamford Police Department and is on a 1 million dollar bond.
Mayor Caroline Simmons of Stamford expressed her sympathy to the family at the time of the incident and expressed her faith in the Stamford Police Department to uncover the facts of the case.
According to online records, Ismalej-Gomez is currently held on a $3 million bond for breaching probation in a 2021 case where he broke Liam’s arm.
He was sentenced to jail for five years but was released after 60 days as part of a plea agreement. Ismalej-Gomez allegedly found Rivera dead in the child’s room and took part in burying the body in Cummings Park.
Furthermore, he is said to have held the mother, Rivera-Santos, at gunpoint for several days and made her accompany him to West Virginia. The mother finally escaped, purchased a phone, and contacted her lawyer, who in turn alerted the police.