Stamford, CT – A mother and father were sentenced to over a decade in prison for the death of their two-year-old son. Iris Rivera-Santos and Edgar Ismalej-Gomez both pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including intentional cruelty to a child and tampering with physical evidence.
Each received a 16-year sentence in a Fairfield County Superior Court, as reported by the Stamford Advocate. Their son, Liam Rivera, was found in Cummings Park, buried in a shallow grave on January 2, 2023.
Neither parent admitted to the killing, though the medical examiner identified the cause of death as “multiple blunt force traumas to the head.” Following the plea hearing, Ismalej-Gomez’s attorney stated that his client maintains his innocence.
Rivera-Santos reportedly declined to comment after the hearing. A police investigation began with a report of the child being kidnapped, which led authorities to Cummings Park.
Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw stated that officers discovered fresh dirt and a plastic bag that contained the toddler. Rivera-Santos initially claimed she was kidnapped by Ismalej-Gomez following their son’s death, a story later disputed by investigators.
Text messages deleted from her phone suggested the mother’s account of being held hostage was fabricated. Rivera-Santos and Ismalej-Gomez are scheduled for a formal sentencing hearing on February 10, 2026.