BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Court TV) — A Connecticut couple was sentenced to prison on Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to charges linked to the death of their young son.
Edgar Ismalej-Gomez and Iris RIvera-Santos (far right) were sentenced on April 21, 2026. (Court TV)
Iris Rivera-Santos, 33, and Edgar Ismalej-Gomez, 27, previously pleaded guilty to a slew of charges, including risk of injury to a child, intentional cruelty to a child under 19 years old, tampering with evidence and conspiracy after their child, Liam Rivera, died at just 2.5 years old.
Prosecutor Paul Ferencek described the case as “one of the most troubling and extreme cases of child abuse” that he’d seen in his 38 years as a prosecutor in Fairfield County.
Liam was only 2 years old when he died; the medical examiner determined his death was due to blunt force trauma. Ferencek said that photos entered into evidence in the case showed bruising throughout his face and showed him to be “underweight, malnourished, emaciated.”
Stamford police originally found Liam’s body, wrapped in plastic bags, buried in Cummings Park on Jan. 2, 2023, Law & Crime reported. Police said their investigation began with a report that the child had been kidnapped, but they determined that was never true.
Liam’s former foster mother, who cared for the child before he was returned to the custody of his biological parents, said the child, who was “full of life,” loved trucks, soccer balls and going to the park. “We will never forget Liam,” she said. “Every birthday we celebrate. Every Christmas, we donate toys in his honor. Every Thanksgiving, we make a plate for him.” The foster family now has custody of Liam’s sister.
Ismalej-Gomez spoke briefly to the court through an interpreter. “I just want to apologize to the Court and to everybody present here,” he said. “And I want you to know that I do accept responsibility for everything that has been mentioned.”
Rivera-Santos chose to remain silent at the hearing. Her attorney told the courtroom, “She is fully aware of the gravity of this moment.”
When the defendants initially pleaded guilty in November 2025, they entered into plea agreements with the state that would have required them each to serve 16 years in prison, but Judge Gary White rejected that sentence.
Prosecutors said that neither parent was charged with homicide because the state could not prove which of the two was responsible. “Common sense dictates that it was either one, the other, or both, but in a court of law, we could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt,” Ferencek said at Tuesday’s hearing.
“Their behavior was obviously disgusting, disgraceful and terrible,” White said as he handed down the sentences. “They are getting a severe punishment, which is probably not severe enough, but the law limits us all to imposing a conviction and a sentence that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. What can be proven is what has been charged, and the sentence to be imposed is appropriate under the circumstances.
Ismalej-Gomez was sentenced to 18 years in prison; Rivera-Santos was sentenced to 20 years.
