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Stamford Man Charged With Murdering Wife, Abandoning Child

STAMFORD, Conn. -- A Stamford man accused of killing his wife last month was returned to the city Thursday and formally charged in her murder.

Elmer Gomez Ruano is returned to Stamford Thursday and charged with the murder of his wife in November.

Elmer Gomez Ruano is returned to Stamford Thursday and charged with the murder of his wife in November.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Elmer Gomez Ruano is brought into Stamford Police Headquarters to be charged with his estranged wife's murder.

Elmer Gomez Ruano is brought into Stamford Police Headquarters to be charged with his estranged wife's murder.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Lt. Tom Barcello speaking with the media after murder suspect Elmer Gomez Ruano is brought into Stamford Police headquarters at noon Thursday.

Lt. Tom Barcello speaking with the media after murder suspect Elmer Gomez Ruano is brought into Stamford Police headquarters at noon Thursday.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern
Mugshot of Elmer Gomez-Ruano who is charged with murdering his wife last month in Stamford.

Mugshot of Elmer Gomez-Ruano who is charged with murdering his wife last month in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Stamford Police Department

Elmer Gomez Ruano, 32, was charged with murder and risk of injury to a child. He was held on a combined bond of $850,000 and will be arraigned in court Friday.

Stamford Police Lt. Tom Barcello said it’s satisfying to have Ruano in Stamford.

“It’s very nice to get him into custody. My guys did a very nice job here: Sgt. (Chris) Broems, Officer Barquero, Officer Davis and Officer Junes," Barcello said. "They did a great job. We are very satisfied with this case. Very satisfied that he is in custody. We are glad that we have him here and that now we can serve a murder warrant on him.”

Stamford police named Ruano is suspect in the murder of Dionicia Bautista-Cano, 24, who was found dead Nov. 14 in the Glenbrook apartment she had just moved into. Bautista-Cano was the estranged wife of Ruano. 

Her body was discovered after the couple's 5-year-old daughter was found wandering around alone at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. It was later determined that Ruano had abandoned her there, and she was taken into the care of New York City Police. Police were able to get enough information from her to lead them to the Courtland Avenue apartment building where her mother was found dead inside a third-floor apartment. 

The death was ruled a homicide, and Ruano was identified as a suspect. Police launched a manhunt for Ruano. He was eventually arrested in Brooklyn on Nov. 18. He was held in New York City and waived an extradition hearing before being sent to Stamford on Thursday.

The girl is in foster care under the supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services, Barcello said.

“We are in constant contact with them, and our last update from them is that the child is doing very well,” he said.

Police have been careful in their dealings with the child and did speak with her a little bit but backed off for her well-being, he said. Barcello said they have not asked whether she witnessed the murder.

“We have not and we don’t want to necessarily press it with her,” he said. “It’s traumatic enough when you lose your mother so we don’t want to press it with a 6-year-old girl who has had a tough life already.”

Police said the couple were married in Guatemala in 2008 and the husband is believed to have moved to the United States a couple of years ago. He had been living in Stamford for under a year, police said. The wife is believed to have moved to New Jersey with their child less than a year ago, according to police.

The couple had been separated but had reunited and had moved into the Stamford apartment days before the wife's murder, according to police.

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