A 23-year-old man has been arrested on Monday after a 3-month-old baby girl was found dead in a wooded area of the Highbridge section of The Bronx on Sunday, police said. A 20-year-old woman was also arrested on Monday evening in connection with the incident, they said.

An NYPD spokesperson said that on Sunday, May 28, at around 8.24 p.m. a 3-month-old baby girl was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in a wooded area in the vicinity of West 161st Street and the Major Deegan Expressway in Highbridge. “EMS pronounced the infant deceased at the scene,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) will determine the cause of death. The investigation remains ongoing at this time.”

 

The deceased was identified as Genevieve Comager, of University Avenue in Highbridge.

 

On Monday, May 29, pursuant to what police said was an ongoing investigation, Damion Comager, 23, of the same University Avenue address as the infant, was arrested in connection with the case. He was charged with murder, manslaughter, and concealment of a human corpse on Monday at around 8 p.m. in the 44th Precinct.

 

Later on Monday, police said once again pursuant to an ongoing investigation, a second person was arrested in connection with the case. They said Ivana Paolozzi, 20, of the same address as Genevieve and Comager was arrested and charged at around 8 p.m. in the 44th Precinct with concealment of a human corpse and obstructing governmental administration. 

 

Police said on Monday the case is being investigated as a homicide.

 

The NY Daily News reported that the two people arrested are the baby’s parents, that the baby’s maternal grandparents are Swiss and the couple previously lived in the vicinity of Zurich in Switzerland.

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson issued a statement on Tuesday following this tragedy, saying, “Our hearts are heavy. In the past week, we have learned that two precious children, 3-month-old Genevieve Comager and 6-year old Jalayah Eason, both died within their homes.”

 

Pix 11 News had reported on Friday, May 26, that a Jalayah had been found earlier that morning unresponsive inside her Bronx NYCHA apartment at East 165th Street in the Forest Houses housing complex in the South Bronx just before 4 a.m. with bruising on her wrists and trauma to her torso, according to police.

 

Gibson continued, “While investigations are underway to determine their causes of death, we are unbelievably saddened that children have lost their lives due to alleged abuse and neglect within their homes. These tragedies are painful reminders of the need for mechanisms in place that would increase the monitoring and overall support for vulnerable or at-risk families who live in The Bronx.”

She concluded, “As a borough, we mourn the loss of these children and will work with city officials and community partners to provide more education and resources for our families and those living in temporary housing. Our prayers go out to these families and loved ones. Our children are our hope and promise for better days and we must strive to do more to protect our children.”

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on Twitter @NYPDTips.