A father has apologized after being charged with the murder of his three-month-old daughter who was found buried in a bag of books near the Bronx after her own father bought her from the cops when he confessed to finding the ‘stiff’ and ‘cold’ baby.
Damion Comager, 23, cried “I loved her, I’m sorry” as he was led out of the NYPD’s 44th Precinct in handcuffs with his head bowed after being charged on Monday.
The baby’s mother, Ivana Paolozzi, 20, was also charged with receiving a human body and obstructing government administration.
The body of their daughter Genevieve Comager was found in the woods near a Bronx homeless shelter at West 161st Street and Major Deegan Freeway around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Geneviève’s grandfather revealed to the New York Post that he felt compelled to call the police about his own son after consulting a priest. He said he decided he had to “do the right thing”.
Baby Genevieve Comager (left with dad, right) was found in the woods near a Bronx homeless shelter at West 161st Street and on the Major Deegan Freeway around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
The baby’s mother, Ivana Paolozzi (pictured with Genevieve), 20, has also been charged with concealing a human corpse and obstructing government administration.
“I’m just trying to process this,” Donald, 47, told The Post on Monday. “He told me the baby was crying a lot.
“She kept crying. He said he just shook her and laid her down, and he lay down and fell asleep.
“He got up and reached for her and she was stiff and her body was cold. He panicked. He told his girlfriend, “I think she’s dead.”
An NYPD spokesperson previously told DailyMail.com that a concerned family member, now known as the grandfather, alerted the police to the missing baby and when they went to investigate they found the child unconscious and unresponsive.
The baby is believed to have been living with her parents in the University Family Residence, a transitional housing unit located at 1041 University Avenue, a few blocks from Yankee Stadium.
Sources told the Post that Comager allegedly admitted to shaking and slapping the baby on May 14 while she couldn’t stop crying.
It is alleged he did not want to take her to hospital after she became unresponsive because he feared the marks around her neck would raise suspicion.
Tragically, later that morning, little Genevieve was stuffed into a bag and dumped in the wooded area where she remained undiscovered for more than two weeks, the sources added.
44th Precinct Police are investigating the death of Geneviève Comager who was found in a wooded area near the Major Deegan Highway on Sunday evening around 8:30 p.m.
The baby is believed to have been living with her parents in the University Family Residence, a transitional housing unit located at 1041 University Avenue, and a few blocks from Yankee Stadium.
Police were alerted by a concerned family member, now known as the baby’s grandfather, to carry out a welfare check at the accommodation center
“They put the baby in a satchel and took her to the wooded area,” Donald recalled, his son telling him on the phone.
Geneviève’s mother and father first met during a trip to Switzerland – where Paolozzi is from.
Comager, originally from Louisiana, and Paolozzi moved to New York in November and Geneviève was born in February.
Comager’s father said the little girl was his first grandchild and he has never met her in person, although he interacts with her regularly on calls or FaceTime.
Donald reflected on the difficulties of reporting his own son, but after praying with his priest he felt he had no choice but to call the police.
He also revealed that his son, who had “multiple prior arrests for assault, domestic violence and criminal impersonation”, was diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia as a child.
The NYPD Crime Scene Unit and police cruisers were parked near the scene where the baby’s body was found near the wooded area along the Major Deegan Highway
A neighbor said ABC News 7 how “shocked” she was. “It makes me so sad, how they go through this.”
Another neighbour, Gilbert Velez, said SCS: ‘On occasion, I saw them coming out of the shelter. They were pretty nice, I said hello.
“I have grandchildren, and it saddens me… This baby could have been someone special.”
The medical examiner said the cause of the baby’s death is still under investigation at this time.
