Edgar Ismalej-Gomez.Photo: Stamford Police Department CT/Facebook
A 26-year-old Stamford, Conn., man was arrested early Tuesday morning after the remains of his toddler son were found in a plastic bag buried in a local park.
Edgar Ismalej-Gomez was taken into custody while trying to enter a taxi bound for New York,theStamford Advocatereports. He was arraigned on Tuesday.
At a Tuesday press conference, police Chief Timothy Shaw named Ismalej-Gomez as a suspect in the child’s death. Related charges have not yet been filed.
Ismalej-Gomez is also allegedly suspected of holding the little boy’s mother hostage at gunpoint for multiple days, according to the Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning, theStamford Advocatereports.
After the child’s death, Ismalej-Gomez allegedly traveled with the boy’s mother to West Virginia. When they returned to Stamford, she was reportedly able to call a lawyer who notified police,ABC 7 NY reports.
At Tuesday’s press conference,Chief Shaw saidStamford police received a call shortly before 12 pm on Monday regarding a potential kidnapping and an injured child. The caller reportedly mentioned that the child might be found in Cummings Park. It’s unclear exactly when Liam died.
Officers searching the park then located the deceased child in a plastic bag, under “dirt that had been moved around,” Shaw said.
The crime scene where the child’s body was recovered.John Moore/Getty
“The investigation is fluid … but we are confident there is no ongoing threat to our community,” the chief noted.
Last year, Ismalej-Gomez pleaded guilty to breaking his son’s arm in 2021, per theStamford Advocate. He served 60 days in prison and was given three years probation. He was also ordered to stay away from the little boy, but was reportedly again living with Liam and the boy’s mother in recent weeks, multiple outlets report.
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“We know what we signed up for as police officers. But what the officers saw yesterday is not something they signed up for,” Shaw said at Tuesday’s press conference. “They are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and friends … No one should witness what they did yesterday. They will need some support.”
“This is a horrific and unimaginable tragedy for our city,” Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said at yesterday’s press conference. “As a mother of young boys, my heart is breaking, as I know all our hearts are breaking, over the tragic loss of this 2-year-old boy.”
Ismalej-Gomez is currently being held on a $3 million bond on charges unrelated to his son’s death. It’s unclear whether he has retained a lawyer to comment on his behalf.
source: people.com
