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Author Topic: Unidentified Male CHILD Found Dead-Wylie, TX-ID'd-Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, 6 yo (solved)  (Read 55265 times)
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Nut44x4
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« Reply #60 on: April 24, 2010, 08:18:38 AM »

No Booking Photo yet.........

http://www.co.collin.tx.us/rsp-bin/jlistrv.pgm?IDNO=235412&BOKSEQ=0&caller=JLISTR&Rnd%20=1866666888336230
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« Reply #61 on: April 24, 2010, 09:37:38 AM »

Thanks for all of the articles. I am so glad they did this swiftly and found out who this little boy was. Shocking that it is the grandmother. Apparently she had custody for one reason or another. Maybe his biological parents were unfit or they did not know how to take care of a special needs child. I wonder why one of them did not know that this was their son. The tip came from the missing and exploited childrens hotline. Any way I hope this case is not as dramatic and full of liars, ie Casey, Cindy,Tammi, Josh,Misty,etc. (geeze  ) like the other cases on this board. I guess time will tell. Maybe grandma will confess and that will be that, or she will lawyer up and we will all have to buckle up for the rollercoaster ride.
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« Reply #62 on: April 24, 2010, 10:13:40 AM »

God Bless you Gerren, you are in good hands now and may justice be served to the person who did this to you.  an angelic monkey
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« Reply #63 on: April 24, 2010, 10:18:33 AM »

God Bless you Gerren, you are in good hands now and may justice be served to the person who did this to you.  an angelic monkey

my sentiments as well...
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« Reply #64 on: April 24, 2010, 11:05:44 AM »

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-bodyfound_24met.ART.State.Edition2.4c511da.html
'Wylie's angel' ID'd; grandmother held on murder charge
Saturday, April 24, 2010

After eight days, he has a name: Gerren Joseph Isgrigg.

Late Friday, Wylie police investigators confirmed the identity of the 6-year-old whose body was found by a mowing crew April 15 near a Collin County pond.

Gerren's maternal grandmother and primary caregiver, 63-year-old Darlene Phillips, was arrested after 10 p.m. on a murder charge. Her bail was set at $500,000.

"We're going straight on that she murdered Gerren by her actions," Wylie Detective Venece Perepiczka said. "This was a very unfortunate circumstance. Gerren was not taken care of well."

Police said the boy's parents are separated. The father lives in California and the mother in Oklahoma. Their names were not released. Police didn't say where the grandmother and Gerren lived.

Police said a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's hotline led to the identification of Gerren, whose story has left its mark on the hearts of thousands around the world.

Investigators said they were looking into what happened in the final days before Gerren's death. Autopsy results are pending, but police have said there were no obvious injuries.

Wylie police had worked around the clock with the national center and the Collin County Child Abuse Task Force since last week, checking hundreds of tips to learn the boy's identity.

An image of Gerren that the center's forensic artists created based on police photos was circulated worldwide in hopes that someone would recognize him.

In announcing Gerren's name Friday, investigators also released a photograph provided by his father. It was taken three years ago while the boy was in the hospital.

As news of Gerren's identity spread, relief poured through the comments on the "Wylie's Angel" Facebook page started by a Dallas woman. Malorie Martinez said her mission was simply to give Gerren a name.

"I can't even describe how much this means," Martinez, 20, said through tears.

Membership for the online group topped 44,000 and was still growing.

Martinez and Donna Valentino of Richardson have barely slept over the last week as they monitored the comments online to ensure that the messages remained positive. They also organized a candlelight vigil Thursday at East Fork Park that attracted hundreds of people who prayed for answers.

"There is a God," said Valentino after learning the boy had been identified. She said she had put in countless hours simply because "somebody had to know him."

Police said the brown-haired, brown-eyed boy was small for his age, measuring 39 inches tall and weighing just 28 pounds. He had "significant medical needs" and showed signs of having had a feeding tube. Police believe his body had been abandoned less than 24 hours before it was found.

Gary Valentine of Lavon, who found Gerren's body while mowing on Army Corps of Engineers land, said he was relieved to learn the boy had been identified.

"I was so sad for the child. I couldn't imagine somebody not wanting a baby," said Valentine, who was an EMT for years.

"No matter what, you don't throw children in brush piles."
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« Reply #65 on: April 24, 2010, 07:45:38 PM »



RIP Gerren Joseph, you are in the arms of the Lord now, free from illness and pain.  God called his little 6 year old angel home to him to cherish for the beautiful soul he is.  My heart goes out to you and to all who now love you.  You, who once was nourished through a feeding tube, is now nourished by the word of God.

 an angelic monkey


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« Reply #66 on: April 24, 2010, 08:17:59 PM »

Woman Arrested in Wylie's Angel Murder

Published : Saturday, 24 Apr 2010, 2:42 PM CDT

WYLIE, Texas - A north Texas woman has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of a 6-year-old boy whose body was found in Wylie near Lake Lavon last week. Investigators say Darlene Phillips, 63, is the maternal grandmother of the victim, Gerren Joseph Isgrigg.

The boy was known only as "Wylie's Angel" until Friday when investigators announced a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had helped them identify the child.

Phillips is being charged with Murder and is currently being held in the Collin County Detention Facility. Her bond has been set at $500,000.00.

Police say Phillips was Isgrigg's primary caregiver. They say the boy's parents live in other states and are separated.

The Collin County Medical Examiner says there were no injuries on the body and they have not yet determined a cause of death. Investigators say Isgrigg was very small for his age and there is evidence he needed a feeding tube to survive.
...
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/woman-arrested-in-wylie%27s-angel-murder
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« Reply #67 on: April 24, 2010, 09:27:15 PM »

http://www.wfaa.com/news/Wylies-Angel-was-severely-ill-says-grandfather-92021724.html
(Video)
'Wylie's Angel' was severely ill, says grandfather
April 24, 2010

'Wylie's Angel,' Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, lived in darkness and silence, with severe medical hardships that tore a family apart, News 8 has learned.

The little boy's grandmother, 63-year-old Darlene Phillips, is in jail, accused of killing him. It's an arrest that has stunned his family.

According to Patrick Phillips, and the boy's paternal grandparents, Gerren was very sick.

He was blind, deaf, had seizures and was on a feeding tube most of his life.

Phillips says that his daughter asked them to take care of Gerren for two weeks. He said those two weeks turned into three years.

In Wylie, there's relief, now that the mystery of the boy found near Lake Lavon is no more.

They know the name of their angel.

"He's got a beautiful name and beautiful face to go with it now," said one resident, Peggy Simants.

Gerren was six years old.

"It broke my heart because I just became a grandmother myself and I can't fathom how someone could do this to their own grandchild. It's beyond me to understand and grasp," said Simants.

Investigators are confident about the case.

"We are going straight off that she murdered Gerren," said Detective Venece Perepiczka from Wylie police.

"She was the primary caretaker of Gerren at this time. We believe she was the one responsible for his well being, circumstances that she was in control led to his murder," she added.

News 8 has learned that Phillips, her husband and Gerren were living in the Budget Suites of America in The Colony.

Latasha Johnson remembers seeing Phillips on the property.

"I've got a little dog that has got some problems and she was just giving me advice on where to take him for a vet. She's really nice with all the kids," she said.

The suspect's husband, Patrick Phillips, would not go on camera, but he says he's heartbroken and devastated.

He and his wife have been taking care of Gerren for the past three and half years.

He told us Gerren was in vegetative state and that his wife took good care of him, fed him and gave him medicine everyday.

Phillips says he doesn't know what happened, only that wife of 30 years told him that she left Gerren with a social worker last week.


Back at the memorial, families are hoping they can say goodbye to their angel.

They want Wylie to be his home.

"I'm hoping that we get to keep him and have a burial here, lay him to rest in Wylie," said Kathy Henson.

"He's still Wylie's angel and he will always be Wylie's angel," she added.

Investigators are still working on the case.

They do not expect to make any other arrests this weekend.

The results of the autopsy are pending and again and the cause of death has not been released.

*************************************
Questions:
1.  How much money/goods/food stamps/relief/supplies were drawn each month for the care of Gerren, due to his severe disabilities?
2.  Who collected #1 and for how long?
3.  When was the last time a social worker/doctor, therapist saw Gerren?
4.  Were Gerren's parents (either/both) advised the Grandma couldn't care for him anymore?
5.  Did Gerren die from lack of care/nutrition?
6.  Was there any oversight for #'s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5?
7.  Why was Gerren dumped at the side of the road?
8.  Was Gerren murdered?  (Also see #5)
9.  If Gerren wasn't murdered or mistreated, why dump his little body at the side of the road? 

So many questions, not enough answers.  Even if I saw answers, I'm not sure I could fathom the reasoning behind them for Gerren to end up dumped at the side of the road.  No matter what, it just didn't have to end this way for little Gerren.  It's my hope the citizens of Wylie will be allowed to bury their little angel Gerren.   Rest in peace, Gerren.   an angelic monkey


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« Reply #68 on: April 24, 2010, 09:33:09 PM »

This article is from yesterday, but contains more information, so I'll post it:

http://cbs11tv.com/local/wylie.child.identified.2.1653586.html
(Video)
Police: Wylie Grandmother Arrested Swiftly Friday
April 23, 2010

WYLIE (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―


Authorities arrested 63-year-old Darlene Phillips for killing 6-year-old Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, the child authorities spent more than a week identifying after being found dead near Lake Lavon.

They announced the arrest hours after authorities revealed the child's identity. Phillips is Isgrigg's maternal grandmother and primary caretaker. She has been charged with murder and is currently being held in the Collin County Detention Facility with a $500,000 bond.

On April 15, a worker who was cutting the grass on the 1900 block of Skyview Drive near Lake Lavon discovered the body and alerted authorities. The medical examiner said there was no sign of trauma, but that the boy had significant medical needs and appeared to have had been fed through a feeding tube.

Investigators identified the child Friday from a tip received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The arrest was swift. Police said Phillips was interviewed at the Collin County Child Advocacy Center late Friday. Within minutes, the boy was identified and Phillips was arrested. Police said the death was not just an act of neglect.
[/color]
"We're going straight off that she murdered Gerren … by her actions that a murder was committed and she was responsible," said detective Venece Perepiczka with the Wylie Police Department.

Police swarmed her last known address in Garland Thursday. Neighbors said detectives in plainclothes bluntly announced they were investigating the death of the child known as 'Wylie's Angel' upon their arrival. Neighbors said the home was abandoned a few days ago and that no other children lived at the home.

The Wylie community became deeply involved in the investigation. Days after the discovery, police released a sketch of what the child may have looked like. That picture soon lined the windows of storefronts throughout the city. Community members soon began calling him 'Wylie's Angel.'

A Facebook page for the child garnered more than 43,000 members. Both North Texas Crime Stoppers and Schepp's Dairy announced a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the child's positive identification.

First Baptist Church of Wylie offered to hold and pay for memorial services for the child, after the congregation was deeply affected by the discovery.

On Saturday, many Wylie residents said the identification and arrest brought the city some closure. Some gathered around the makeshift shrine at the location where the boy was discovered to pay their final respects.

"It's a blessing that he's been identified and now he can be laid to rest peacefully and with a name," said Wylie resident Marsha Cox.

Many of those fliers put up around town were removed Saturday. The few that remain are just hand-scribbled updates of the boy's full name.

Child Protective Services confirmed that it opened a case at the Phillips residence based on the boy's death. It said it had no prior calls for assistance at the address.
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« Reply #69 on: April 24, 2010, 09:36:10 PM »

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9F9LCQ01.html
Grandmother arrested in death of 6-year-old boy
April 24, 2010

he grandmother of a 6-year-old boy whose body was found near a North Texas lake last week has been arrested on a murder charge.

Darlene Phillips, the boy's maternal grandmother and primary caregiver, was arrested Friday night and remained in the Collin County Detention Facility in McKinney on Saturday. Her bail was set at $500,000. A jail official had no attorney information for her.

Wylie investigators confirmed the identity of the boy late Friday as Gerren Joseph Isgrigg. His body was found April 15 near a Collin County lake. Police think the body was abandoned less than 24 hours before it was found.

Police have said he was small for his age, weighing just 28 pounds, and had "significant medical needs." He showed signs of having had a feeding tube.

"Gerren was not taken care of well," Wylie Detective Venece Perepiczka told The Dallas Morning News, adding that the boy was not physically able to care for himself.

Autopsy results are pending, but police have said there were no obvious injuries.

Police have not said where the 63-year-old Phillips lived. Police said the boy's parents are separated, with his father living in California and his mother living in Oklahoma. The names of the parents were not released.

Police said a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's hotline led to Gerren's identification.

The discovery of his body had touched many, with a candlelight vigil Thursday bringing hundreds of people to a Wylie park to pray for answers to his identity. A "Wylie's Angel" Facebook page has seen membership grow to 44,000.


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« Reply #70 on: April 24, 2010, 09:57:40 PM »

wow... this tears at the heart. This beautiful little boy felt and he may have been deaf and blind but he had a heart. According to the articles he was not taken care of very well.  Why was he left at his grandmothers for three years. How horrible. We do not dump our children off as if they do not matter. I may sound judgemental but shame on the parents! Even if they could not handle him, what about weekly or monthly visits, helping out monetarily. Those are very good questions above. Who was getting the disability checks? Were any papers signed over for legal guardianship? If he and the grandmother was recently with a social worker why was there a tip through the hotline? Why didn't the social worker come forward? He is and was a little angel.  I may sound redundant but  I am so glad they found out who he was quickly. Please let there be some justice for this little boy.
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« Reply #71 on: April 24, 2010, 11:13:38 PM »

Just reported on our local news in Dallas, the father had been separated from his wife, he just returned from a tour in Iraq and was looking for his son! 

Mother took him to her mother (Phillips) 3 1/2 years ago.  The grandparents were living in a motel in The Colonies (here near Dallas).  The grandfather said they were caring for him as best they could, he was in a vegetative state and they did what they could for him.

Grandfather said the Grandmother told him she had taken him to a social worker and left him with her earlier this week.
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« Reply #72 on: April 25, 2010, 12:17:49 AM »

Just reported on our local news in Dallas, the father had been separated from his wife, he just returned from a tour in Iraq and was looking for his son! 

Mother took him to her mother (Phillips) 3 1/2 years ago.  The grandparents were living in a motel in The Colonies (here near Dallas).  The grandfather said they were caring for him as best they could, he was in a vegetative state and they did what they could for him.

Grandfather said the Grandmother told him she had taken him to a social worker and left him with her earlier this week.

It seems every day another child is being tossed out like dirty dish water. It breaks my heart. Babs thanks for the local report. What I don't get is the grandparents had, had Gerren for 3 1/2 years. The dad has been looking for him how long? Since his return from Iraq or the whole three and half years he has been with the grandparents.
Since the poor little angel was a very special needs child and you couldn't take care of him or didn't want to take care of him. Why not give him to the state to care for. You would know your child was getting the best possible care. Why the grand parents? Why wouldn't they seek professional help for their grand child?

I just don't get it. Rest in Peace Gerren.  an angelic monkey May justice be swift for you and all that are to blame get right they all deserve.
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« Reply #73 on: April 25, 2010, 05:21:38 PM »

It's been reported that police swarmed the home of Patrick and Darlene Phillips in Garland, TX.  Neighbors said the home was abandoned a few days earlier.  Also reported is that the Phillips (maternal grandparents) and Gerren were staying at the Budget Suites of America in The Colony.  Evidently that is a motel in The Colonies, near Dallas.  Patrick says he doesn't know what happened, only that Darlene told him that a week earlier she had left Gerren with a social worker.   

From Dallas, it's pretty much a straight shot up Hwy 78 to Wylie, TX with Garland, TX on/near the Hwy in between.  Garland is about 22 miles northeast of Dallas, and Wylie is about 11 miles northeast of Garland. 

So... the Phillip's home is in Garland, TX -- but they apparently left there and were staying in a motel near Dallas.  At some point around that time, Darlene supposedly leaves Gerren with a social worker.  (And yet, Gerren's body is found in Wylie, TX).  Patrick doesn't know what happened.  Really? 

Since he was with her, I just find it really hard to believe that he didn't know what all was going on.  Did he even ask Darlene why she would leave Gerren with a SW?  It was said in one of the above articles that Patrick 'would not go on camera'.  Why not?  That just makes me even more suspicious of him.  I think that he may have been involved with whatever happened to Gerren, at the least in the disposal of his body. It was reported earlier on that police supposedly has leads on 'several persons of interest' in the case.  The detective has said that Gerren's bio-parents are not considered suspects.  Won't surprise me in the least if grandpa Patrick is arrested at some point in this case.   

It's been reported that Gerren was severely ill, blind, deaf, had seizures, had been on a feeding tube most of his life, and was in a vegetative state.  Patrick says that Darlene took good care of him, fed him and gave him medicine everyday.  But police say that Gerren was not taken care of well, that his death was not just an act of neglect, that circumstances Darlene was in control of led to his murder, and that his body had no apparent trauma. 

It sounds like in addition to neglect, Gerren either wasn't being fed or wasn't given his meds, or both.  Gerren was in a vegetative state.  Is this going to end up being a case where the caregiver chose to end their loved one's life as it was, not being able or willing to continue this care indefintely?  I have such mixed feelings when something like this happens. 

If this is what led up to Gerren's death, am thinking that disposing of his body rather contacting authorities and having a decent burial, likely will bring even more serious charges. 
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« Reply #74 on: April 25, 2010, 05:23:39 PM »

Sorry, forgot to mention in the above post that the info I referred to was taken from sev. of the articles posted upthread.  All else is IMO. 

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« Reply #75 on: April 25, 2010, 06:30:23 PM »

http://www.wfaa.com/news/Wylies-Angel-was-severely-ill-says-grandfather-92021724.html
(snip)
News 8 has learned that Phillips, her husband and Gerren were living in the Budget Suites of America in The Colony.

Here's some information on the Budget Suites of America in The Colony:

http://www.budgetsuites.com/locations/tx/thecolony.html
5289 S. Highway 121, The Colony, TX




In this article it states:
http://cbs11tv.com/local/wylie.child.identified.2.1653586.html
(snip)
Police swarmed her last known address in Garland Thursday. Neighbors said detectives in plainclothes bluntly announced they were investigating the death of the child known as 'Wylie's Angel' upon their arrival. Neighbors said the home was abandoned a few days ago and that no other children lived at the home. (snip)


Does this mean Darlene and Patrick Phillips lived in a house in Garland but the neighbors say the house had been abandoned a few days earlier, and they were staying at the Budget Suites of America in The Colony.  Why did they abandon their house and move to the Budget Suites?  Was that before, after, or during the time of the murder of Gerren?  Were they at the home, Gerren was dumped at the roadside and they moved on?  I haven't seen where Darlene Phillips was when she was arrested, but according to an article posted here, she was arrested at 10:00 p.m. 

It looks like the Budget Suites are set up for weekly rates, starting at $179.00 for one adult, and they have kitchenettes etc. "fully furnished apartments", all bills paid.

Why were the Phillips staying at the Budget Suites? 
I checked Google maps, and the distance between Garland, TX and The Colony TX is 26.6 mil, or about a 38 min drive (50 min. with traffic)
This would vary , because I don't have the street address where the Phillips lived in Garland, but you can see it isn't far.

So far there has only been one arrest, which is Darlene Phillips.  Patrick Phillips said his wife Darlene left Gerren with a social worker.  What happened to all of Gerren's things?  Where are his clothes?  His medicines?   Where are the things that were used to care for him with?  Maybe there just wasn't much? 
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« Reply #76 on: April 25, 2010, 06:50:48 PM »


Hard, broken life of 'Wylie's Angel' emerges after grandmother's arrest

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/crime/stories/DN-bodyfound_25met.ART.State.Edition2.4d3797b.html

Sunday, April 25, 2010
VALERIE WIGGLESWORTH
TANYA EISERER
The Dallas Morning News
Jon Nielsen contributed to this report.

Exactly how Gerren Isgrigg's frail body ended up near a Collin County pond on April 15 is still a mystery. But a clearer picture is emerging of the fractured family life that followed the 6-year-old to his death.

His maternal grandmother and primary caretaker sits in the Collin County Jail facing a murder charge. His maternal grandfather thought the boy, who was blind and deaf, had been left with a social worker. And Gerren's paternal family believed he was living with his mother, who got sole custody of the boy after a 2006 divorce.

"We're still in shock and disbelief," said Linda Isgrigg, Gerren's paternal grandmother in Arizona. "All they would have had to do was bring him here. ... I could have been there every day to see that he was taken care of." Gerren's severe medical problems began shortly after his birth in September 2003. He required around-the-clock care and a special diet provided through a feeding tube. He couldn't do anything for himself. "All he could do was lay there," Isgrigg said.

Police have said the actions of his maternal grandmother, Darlene Phillips, led to Gerren's death, but they declined to elaborate. Phillips, 63, is being held on $500,000 bail.

"Little Gerren was not taken care of well, and it ended up to his murder," Wylie Detective Venece Perepiczka said in announcing the arrest late Friday. The investigation is ongoing, she said, as the task force that has been working nonstop since Gerren was found tries to determine what happened.

From weeks to years

Patrick Phillips said he and his wife were asked by their daughter, Nyki Phillips, to take Gerren for a couple of weeks. Those weeks turned into years. "My wife doted on that boy," Patrick Phillips said from the motel in The Colony where he and his wife had been living recently. "They're making her out to be a murderer. It's heart-wrenching." Nyki Phillips, who police say lives in Oklahoma, couldn't be reached for comment. Patrick Phillips said he doesn't know what happened to Gerren. He told WFAA-TV (Channel Cool that his wife said she left Gerren with a social worker.

Marissa Gonzales, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, said her agency had no contact with the family. Records show Darlene Phillips was once a caregiver for an assisted living center in Arizona that may have been owned by relatives. It was unclear whether she had any medical training.

Tip leads to DNA test

Gerren's body was discovered at the edge of a parking lot just after 9 a.m. by a mowing crew on federal land. Small for his age, he measured 39 inches tall and just 28 pounds. He remained unidentified for more than a week as investigators with the Wylie Police Department and the Collin County Child Abuse Task Force searched for clues to his past.

A computer-enhanced image of Gerren was plastered on the news and on fliers all over the community south of Lavon Lake. A Facebook page dubbed "Wylie's Angel" took the little boy's story global in hopes that someone would recognize him. A tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's hotline gave police the break they needed to track down his family. Investigators contacted Gerren's father in California early Friday. Jerry Isgrigg provided a DNA sample that confirmed Gerren's identity.

Linda Isgrigg said her son was making regular child support payments to his ex-wife and thought Gerren was still living with her. He was the couple's only child together. She believed the marriage ended over Gerren's medical problems. Her son saw Gerren when he could, she said, but it was infrequent because he was in the military.

A staff sergeant in the Marines, Jerry Isgrigg recently returned from a brief tour in Korea, Linda Isgrigg said. He served in the Persian Gulf War, left the military for about a decade, then re-enlisted and served in the Iraq war. He is stationed at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Father's concerns

Jerry Isgrigg was at his parents' home in Arizona on Saturday and making plans to come to Texas, his mother said. He declined to comment. Linda Isgrigg said she didn't know when her son last saw Gerren, but she knew that it had been awhile. "He was always concerned" about Gerren's well-being, she said.

Isgrigg said that at one point Gerren was staying at the Truman Smith Children's Care Center in Gladewater, Texas, but she wasn't sure for how long. Officials at the nursing home declined to comment, citing health care privacy laws. "I called one day to check to see how he was, and they said that he wasn't there," Isgrigg said. "I said let me talk to the nurse, and they said that he wasn't there anymore, that she [his mother] came and got him." Isgrigg said she last saw Gerren about two years ago.

"I don't understand why didn't they just contact somebody and say, 'I can't handle this. Will you please take him?' Or call his dad," Linda Isgrigg said. "These children do not have a voice."

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« Reply #77 on: April 25, 2010, 07:31:22 PM »

this is all very sad...the grand mother was probably very overwhelmed..she should have asked for help for the state to take this child because she could no longer care for him...In her photo/mugshot..she looked like she was around 80 yrs old I thought! The other grand parents could have done more to follow up on this child...the father could have done more to find out what had happened to his child and most certainly the bio mother dumped this child onto her elderly parents to take...they are all responsible for this child's lack of care imo....easy to say, all they had to do was bring him here or called and we would have taken care of him...this little boy deserved to have some dignity of life...he would have been so much better off in a facility that could care for a child with his disabilities..

and Wyks...I think that it was you who may have touched on this, maybe this was a mercy killing by this grand mother for the little boy...had not thought of that, but it could be...
No matter how or why this grand mother killed this child, or if it was natural causes, which it doesn't look like,  she should have never dumped his little body..my heart hurts
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« Reply #78 on: April 25, 2010, 07:32:33 PM »

Not sure how "concerned" about Gerren his father was, tho his mother says he was.  In the above article, it says that Gerren's father had been paying child support to Gerren's mother, who got sole custody after their divorce in 2006.  So Gerren was about 2 at the time.  He had lived in a center, then two years ago his maternal grandma came and got him.  (Thought the maternal grandpa says that his daughter dropped Gerren off for a couple of weeks, didn't come back, what about that story?)  All this time Gerren's father thought he was living with his ex wife, Gerren's mom.  So for 4 years now she's been taking the child support??  Sure hope she forwarded that money to the maternal grandma.  But since Gerren's father didn't know any of this, he couldn't have been to see him in many years.  Even taking into consideration he was likely deployed for part of that time, how "concerned" about Gerren could he have possibly been??   

And since Gerren's mom had sole custody (which includes physical, legal, and medical custody, right?) how the heck then did Darlene Phillips supposedly take Gerren out of the medical center?  Wouldn't they have needed to have Gerren's mom sign him out?  That part doesn't make sense, and am wondering if that's just what the paternal side of the family thinks or was told by someone?   

The whole thing between both families (communication, knowledge and involvement), in regards to Gerren, sounds like one big fuster cluck. 



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RIP Grumpy Cat :( I will miss you.


« Reply #79 on: April 25, 2010, 07:38:45 PM »

Apr 25, 2010 6:02 pm US/Central

Relatives: Public Misunderstands Isgrigg's Death

Relatives of the woman charged with murdering 'Wylie's Angel' called the incident a "tragedy" and that it is "nothing like it's being portrayed."

On Friday, police announced that the dead 6-year-old found near Lake Lavon on April 15 was named Gerren Joseph Isgrigg and his grandmother Darlene Phillips, 63, had been arrested and charged with killing him.

After speaking with the media over the weekend, Phillips' husband Patrick and a younger, unidentified man who called him "Dad" said they had been evicted from the suburban Dallas extended stay motel.

The man said the public had the wrong impression of what happened, and that the child was deaf, blind and needed to be fed through a feeding tube.

"She left him some place where she thought he'd be found," the man said. "I mean, she fed him and everything. He came as a complete vegetable, the whole time and everything."

Phillips' husband did not want to talk Sunday. Published reports indicate the boy's mother left him with his grandparents after her divorce in 2006.

"It's nothing like it's being portrayed," said the man with Phillips' husband. "She told us she took him to a social worker; we didn't know that."

The medical examiner has yet to reveal a cause of death, but authorities are set in their belief that Phillips is responsible for killing the boy.

"We're going straight off that she murdered Gerren … by her actions that a murder was committed and she was responsible," said detective Venece Perepiczka with the Wylie Police Department.

On Saturday, many Wylie residents said the identification and arrest brought the city some closure. Some gathered around a makeshift shrine at the location where the boy was discovered to pay their final respects.

"It's a blessing that he's been identified and now he can be laid to rest peacefully and with a name," said Wylie resident Marsha Cox.

After the sun set Saturday, visitors lit a makeshift memorial for the boy, with the name "Gerren" spelled out with small candles accompanied by a large, candle-lit heart. Strangers continued to pour in as the night went on.

"Just looking at him makes me want to go home and love my kid 100 times more," said Mona Crutcher, who is the mother of a special needs boy herself. She said she realizes raising a special needs child takes much time and effort, but she can't fathom anyone just dumping a child.

Phillips remains in the Collin County Jail on $500,000 bond.
http://cbs11tv.com/local/public.misunderstands.death.2.1655741.html
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