Damion Comager, 23, and Ivana Paolozzi, 20, face charges in connection with the death of their 3-month-old daughter, Genevieve
The parents of an infant who was found dead in a trash bag in a wooded area in New York City have been arrested in connection with the baby girl’s death after a family member called the police, according to multiple news reports.
Damion Comager, 23, has been charged with murder, manslaughter and concealment of a human corpse, after the body of his daughter, identified as 3-month-old Genevieve Comager, was discovered off the Major Deegan Expressway and West 161st Street in the Bronx Sunday night, the NYPD said, per CBS News, ABC 7 New York, and NBC 4 New York. The baby’s mother, Ivana Paolozzi, 20, faces charges of concealment of a human corpse and obstructing governmental administration.
Both were reportedly arraigned on the charges Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear if the pair had entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.
The medical examiner’s office says the infant’s cause of death warrants more investigation, but the manner of death was determined to be homicide, ABC 7 NY reports.
According to ABC 7 NY, Comager allegedly confessed to the crime over the phone, telling his father he shook the baby because she wouldn’t stop crying on May 14.
“He told me that he shook her because she was screaming, and he went to sleep, and he woke up and she was stiff, she was cold,” the suspect’s father, Donald Comager, told CBS News. The father reportedly said he later called the cops and asked for a welfare check, which led to the grim discovery.
“I think it was an accident. I mean, I still had to say something. I couldn’t say nothing,” Comager added, per CBS News.
Damion Comager allegedly put his daughter’s body in a bag after she died, then dumped her near a pedestrian overpass with the help of Paolozzi, law enforcement sources said, per NBC 4 NY. The couple had reportedly been staying at a housing shelter with the baby just blocks away from the crime scene.
According to NBC 4 NY, citing police sources, a stroller the couple allegedly used to transport the baby’s body to the area off the highway was also recovered.
A GoFundMe page was created to help loved ones with costs associated with Genevieve’s funeral.
“I am writing to you today to let you know about the tragic loss of a precious baby girl, Genevieve Comager, who was a bright light in this world and taken much too soon,” the fundraiser reads.
“Because the Comager family was not prepared for the financial burden that follows such a loss, they are struggling to find the funds to cover the efforts to get Genevieve back home to Louisiana, as well as the costs associated with a proper funeral service.”