N.Y. dad allegedly shook daughter to death, dressed her up, then dumped her body near busy street
06/01/2023 12:26 pm PDT
NEW YORK (TCD) -- A 23-year-old man and his 20-year-old girlfriend were arrested over the weekend after their infant daughter was found dead in a wooded area strewn with trash near Yankee Stadium.
WPIX-TV reports NYPD officers took Damion Comager into custody Monday, May 29, on suspicion of murder, concealment of a corpse, and manslaughter, while his girlfriend, Ivana Paolozzi, was arrested for concealment of a corpse and obstructing governmental administration. Comager and Paolozzi’s 3-month-old daughter, Genevieve, was found dead Sunday, May 28, near West 161st Street and the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx.
As he was getting arrested, Comager told a WPIX reporter, "I love my daughter. It was a mistake."
According to CBS New York, Comager allegedly admitted to his father, Donald Comager, that Genevieve died, and Donald contacted police.
Donald Comager said, "I asked him why, and he told me that he shook her and he laid her down because she was screaming, and he went to sleep because he was tired. He went to sleep, then woke up and she was stiff, she was cold."
He added, "My son, he might think I didn’t do the right thing. But I did the right thing."
The medical examiner ruled Genevieve’s death a homicide, CBS New York reports. Prosecutors alleged in court that Paolozzi and Comager dressed Genevieve up and put her in a stroller to make it look like they were taking her out, then put her body in a trash bag and left her in the woods.
Genevieve reportedly died May 13, two weeks before she was found.
On May 28, an agent with the Administration for Children’s Services reportedly contacted Paolozzi, who said they were "alive, safe, and had relocated to Louisiana," where Comager’s family lives. However, they were still in New York.
Comager is reportedly wanted on outstanding warrants out of Colorado.
Genevieve’s cause of death is still being determined.
MORE:
- Man accused of killing baby and dumping in wooded area in the Bronx arrested: police - WPIX
- 3-month-old baby allegedly shaken before body found in Bronx woods: police - WPIX
- Damion Comager charged with murdering 3-month-old daughter found dead in woods near Major Deegan Expressway - CBS New York
- Damion Comager and Ivana Paolozzi, parents of 3-month-old Genevieve Comager whose body was found in the Bronx, appear in court - CBS New York
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on TikTok.