The parents of a 2-year-old found dead and buried in a park in Stamford in 2023 have each pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the child’s death.
Iris Rivera-Santos, 32, and Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 29, of Stamford both took plea bargains last week in Stamford Superior Court in connection with the death of 2-year-old Liam Rivera, according to court records.
Rivera-Santos pleaded guilty to two counts each of risk of injury to a minor and tampering with evidence and a single count of intentional cruelty to someone under 19 years old, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence and moving a dead body without a permit, records show. She remains held in lieu of a $1 million bond and is scheduled to face sentencing on Feb. 10, 2026.
Ismalej-Gomez pleaded guilty to one count each of risk of injury to a minor, intentional cruelty to persons, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, third-degree hindering prosecution, moving a dead body without a permit and violation of a protective order, records show. He is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond and is also expected to face sentencing on Feb. 10, 2026.
The plea deals come after an extensive investigation failed to determine who was responsible for Liam’s death.
According to the Stamford Police Department, Liam was found buried in a shallow grave in Cummings Park on Jan. 2, 2023. Police were alerted to the grave after Rivera-Santos’s attorney called investigators and said she had called him and claimed that she had been held captive for four days. She allegedly told her attorney that her toddler son was “gone and buried,” according to the warrant affidavit for Rivera-Santos.
Rivera-Santos alleged to police that Ismalej-Gomez had held her captive and refused to let her call an ambulance after the child was found dead in his bedroom, the warrant affidavit said. She alleged he drove her to West Virginia and back to the state where she escaped and contacted her attorney, police wrote.
Investigators said they were able to find evidence suggesting her claims were embellished, according to the warrant affidavit.
Ismalej-Gomez, who was named a person of interest shortly after the boy’s body was found, was arrested on an unrelated violation of probation charge that night, records show. He was charged in May 2024 in connection with the child’s death. During the hearing last week, he admitted to the violation, according to court records.
Report: CT toddler found buried in park had multiple previous abuse incidents reported to state
Medical records for the boy showed that he was previously taken to the emergency room, during which the parents claimed the boy fell off his bed and hurt his arm, the warrant affidavit said. Medical staff made contact with the state Department of Children and Families after it was determined that his injury, a spiral fracture, allegedly did not come from a fall, the warrant affidavit said.
According to Courant reporting, a report released by the Office of the Child Advocate revealed multiple instances of Liam being abused, maltreated and undernourished, and that the abuse had been documented by the state.
Liam was 17 pounds when he was found dead, which was five pounds less than his weight at his last check-up, the report said.
At the time of his death, Liam had an open child protection case with DCF and the Superior Court for Juvenile Matters, according to the report. He was under court-ordered protective supervision, as Ismalej-Gomez was on adult probation supervision due to a previous child abuse charge, the report said.