Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, age 26, of Stamford, was arrested by Stamford Police in a taxi early Tuesday, Jan. 3, after an exhaustive search by officers who went door to door and business to business searching for the alleged child killer, according to Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw.
The department was led to the child's body after receiving a phone call on Monday, Jan. 2, regarding a kidnapping and a child buried at Cummings Park in Stamford.
Officers responded to the park and looked for areas with new dirt. Once an area was found, officers dug until they found a garbage bag that held the boy's body inside, the chief said.
Praising his officers, Shaw said "this is not something they signed up for," when confronted with the child's body.
Ismalej-Gomez, who has not been charged with the child's death to date, was arrested on charges of violation of probation for breaking the child's arm in 2021 by twisting it until it broke, officials said.
There was an order of protection against Ismalej-Gomez from being near the child but he has reportedly been seeing the boy's mother recently.
After allegedly killing the child, with blunt force trauma to the head, according to the medical examiner's office, he then took the mother hostage and held her for several days, officials said in court.
Capt. Tom Scanlon, of the Stamford Police, said the department is currently putting together a timeline and going through cellphone records to see how long the mother was held and where.
Police expect to release additional information in the near future.
Ismalej-Gomez is being held on a $3 million bail.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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