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Connecticut woman arrested in connection with death of 2-year-old son

STAMFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut woman was arrested and charged on Friday in connection with the death of her 2-year-old son, whose remains were found in a shallow grave at a park last month.

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Iris Rivera-Santos, 29, was charged Friday with risk of injury to a minor, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and cruelty to persons, the Stamford Police Department said in a news release that was posted to its Facebook page.

“These charges are the result of an extensive investigation that was conducted over the previous weeks in conjunction with the Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office,” police said.

On Jan. 2, police found 2-year-old Liam Rivera dead in a plastic bag buried in Cummings Park in the city of Stamford, the Stamford Advocate reported. The state’s chief medical examiner determined that the child’s death was a homicide caused by multiple blunt-force injuries to the head, the news outlet reported.

According to police, a family member reported that the boy had been kidnapped and harmed, WFSB-TV reported. The information led authorities to the park, where they found the child buried in a shallow grave.

The boy’s father, Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 26, is in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Corrections after a previous arrest for a probation violation, WVIT-TV reported.

Police said last month that Ismalej-Gomez was considered a possible person of interest, then called him a suspect during a news conference, according to the television station.

During Ismalej-Gomez’s arraignment last month, Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning said the boy was discovered dead after the father allegedly went into his son’s room, the Stamford Advocate reported. Ismalej-Gomez allegedly refused to let Rivera-Santos call an ambulance and placed the remains in a bag, which he buried in the park, Manning said.

Ismalej-Gomez was arrested the day after the boy’s remains were found. He is scheduled to appear state Superior Court in Stamford on Wednesday.

Rivera-Santos’ bail was set at $1 million, the Stamford Advocate reported She is scheduled to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday, the news outlet reported.