Connecticut man Edgar Ismalej-Gomez killed 2-year-old son, buried him in park

A Connecticut man allegedly killed his 2-year-old son and then buried the toddler in a local park, cops said.

The remains of Liam Rivera were found Monday in a plastic bag under fresh dirt at Cummings Park in Stamford, the city’s Police Chief Timothy Shaw said in a press conference Tuesday streamed by the Stamford Advocate.

Edgar Ismalej-Gomez was arrested Tuesday for violating probation and is expected to face more charges in connection to Rivera’s death.

Ismalej-Gomez, 26, is also accused of holding the young boy’s mother at gunpoint over the past week, officials reportedly said.

“We know there are days that are tougher than others,” Shaw said. “What the officers saw yesterday is not something they signed up for.”

WTNH reported police said the state’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide due to multiple blunt force trauma to the head. Charges have not yet been filed in the 2-year-old’s death.

During Ismalej-Gomez’s arraignment Tuesday on violating a probation charge, Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning said he was picked up by authorities while in a cab on the way to New York, according to the Stamford Advocate. The arrest occurred around 1:30 a.m., police said.

Ismalej-Gomez is reportedly being held on $3 million bail.

He was arrested in August 2021 for abusing the boy when he was just 8 months old, court records indicate. He pleaded guilty in April 2022 and was required to serve 60 days and three years of probation, according to WTNH, citing court records.

A protective order didn’t allow Ismalej-Gomez to be around Rivera due to that incident, but Manning said in court the father was living with his son and the child’s mother the last few weeks, the Stamford Advocate reported.

Rivera was found dead after Ismalej-Gomez went to his son’s room, Manning reportedly said at the arraignment. He then wouldn’t let the boy’s mother call for help and put the little boy’s body in a bag, Manning said.

It’s unclear exactly when the boy died.

The Stamford Advocate reported that Ismalej-Gomez held the mother hostage with a gun as the pair drove to and from West Virginia before the mom was able to contact police around noon Monday — which led to the grisly discovery, according to Manning.