Unidentified Male CHILD Found Dead-Wylie, TX-ID'd-Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, 6 yo (solved)

[Green Eyes]

I agree with you all about the dad finding excuses why he couldn't go see his son. If he had wanted to he would have found a way. Yes he should have been in contact and checking up on his sons care even if he wouldn't go see him. With that said how about the mother. In my book she is worse than the father by ten fold. She just dumps him on the grandmother and goes her merry way working with her horses. There is something wrong with that picture. I understand that Gerren was in need of 24/7 care and being single parent you would need help. But you can't tell me that there was no help available to her in OK. BS. So why did she dump him on her parents? She couldn't be bothered to even keep in contract with her parents to see how he was doing. There is something wrong with this. I hope the local LE go after her for his death as well. Once again how did they get his medication without seeing a doctor in Texas for 3 1/2 years.  So many questions on how this could happen.

[FishstickKitty]

egads, he just did an interview on wfaa.com and he said he hasn't EVEN broken down yet. This dude now has officially 0% of my sympathy.

egrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Missiontoconvict]

Dad of 'Wylie's Angel' speaks out - Video Interview

by MONIKA DIAZ
WFAA
Posted on April 30, 2010 at 6:41 PM
Updated today at 6:52 PM

WYLIE - While police say a grandmother abandoned her six-year-old grandson known as "Wylie's Angel" on April 15 near Lake Lavon, the boy's father had no idea what was going on.

Staff Sgt. Jerry Isgrigg was away in California, serving in the military. Friday, he was in North Texas working on services for his son.

Isgrigg said he knew his son's life would be short, but he never thought Gerren's life would end the way it did in a field near Lake Lavon.

"I haven't broke down, and it's going to come and it's going to come like a flood," he said. "Obviously, the anguish, the sorrow, the
anger."

For Isgrigg, a Marine, the toughest moment was seeing his son at the Medical Examiner's Office.

"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do," he said.

It was the first time he had seen him in three years.
   
"I pulled on his hand as tiny as it was," Isgrigg said. "It's the last time I will hold his hand. I gave him a kiss goodbye."

Isgrigg's former mother-in-law, Darlene Phillips, is behind bars and faces murder charges. He said when he met Phillips the first time, she spoiled her grandson. He said he now wants to know what happened.

"If anybody says, 'Hey, we just can't deal with this anymore,' anybody could have called," Isgrigg said.

While he was left with more questions than answers, he said he has found comfort and support in the town that has embraced his son.

"What do you say to a town that put its heart and soul into a child, a total strange," Isgrigg said. "I now consider Wylie my home."

There will be a memorial service for Wylie's Angel at 7 p.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church of Wylie. Gerren is expected to buried in Arizona.

Phillips is jailed on a murder charge. Documents say she hid the child under a blanket with a note about his condition three days before a mowing crew found his body.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/Dad-of-Wylies-Angel-speaks-out-92554084.html

[Missiontoconvict]

McCaa Uncut: Wylie's Angel Video

by JOHN MCCAA
WFAA
Posted on April 30, 2010 at 7:14 PM
Updated today at 8:19 PM

DALLAS - Gerren Isgrigg's short tragic life is over. He's the little boy left in the bushes by a grandmother hoping, she says, someone would find him.
 
I didn't know him. I read what you read, heard what you heard: that he had special needs and that his grandmother was very likely overwhelmed trying to meet those needs.

She now sits in jail charged with the six-year-old's death.

It is a nightmare scenario into which Gerren was born. An absent father,  a mother who didn't seem to care granted sole custody and a grandmother overwhelmed.

As for the uncle, this was his response: "I mean, the kid was a complete vegetable the whole time before this and everything. It's nothing like it's being portrayed."

It makes no sense to try the case in the media. Instead, we should concentrate on the families for whom every life does matter, for whom being born into the fold - no matter what your difficulties - means not walking away, but standing strong.

On The Dallas Morning News website, there is a difficult but fascinating story called "Choosing Thomas." While sad, it is ultimately a love story about the family of a child born with a disease they know will take his life. It's a family with few options that refuses to walk away.

Their situation was not the same as Gerren's. Then again, neither was their response.

"In some ways, you know, Thomas is fortunate because he won't experience first broken heart," his mother said in the report. "His dad will never spank him. He'll never get grounded."

It will hurt, but it will give you hope that despite life's shortcomings, there are still some men and women who can teach each of us what love really is.

My thoughts, tell me yours: jmccaa@wfaa.com

http://www.wfaa.com/news/McCaa-Uncut--92556039.html

[newfie]

Several years ago I worked in a day support program. I worked with the higher functioning developmentally challenged adults teaching job, social, and independent living skills. We had several levels within the program. One of the levels was for adults that had similar capacities equal to Gerren. I remember this one young adult, probably 18, he looked like he was 9 or 10,  he was paralyzed, did not speak or do anything on his own. The staff that worked with him, put him  on a mat worked his legs and arms, brought him out in the community, fed him patiently with a spoon , straw etc. , so he would not choke. I will never forget the sparkle in his eyes. He was loved and cared for and he knew it. We are all humans living in a complicated hard to understand at times world. BUT...There is never a reason nor excuse to not be humane and show compassion. Gerren deserved that and would have felt it. There is no excuse for his parents not being there. There is no excuse for what the grandmother did. There is no excuse for social services not looking closer into the family dynamics. The media spins and sells sensationalism, and for that they are guilty. But there is truth in the articles. The plain and simple truth of a little boy that was not cared enough for.

[Green Eyes]

Thank You Mission for the news articles. I had seen part of the dads interview on TV this evening. The other I hadn't seen.  The second article just makes me wonder why some people are so excepting when they have something like this happen while others just turn their backs and walk away. I find it so sad. I really would like to know why nothing from the bio mom. Nothing at all in any of the news reports I have seen just the dad.

I just don't get it how she could just walk away from her child. It seems like she pretty much just handed him over and really never looked back. 

[akmom]

   What happened to this poor baby is horrible.  In almost every community it is possible to get respite services if you are overwhelmed by the care of a special needs child.  There is never ever an excuse for this.  I am so scared for our society.  Instead of evolving with compassion for all we seem to be going backwards and there are some willing to excuse this behavior.  While  I do lay some blame on the parents, how could a grandparent do what she did?  I cannot understand it at all.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/Father-of-Wylies-Angel-Grieves-92554764.html
(video)
Father of Wylie's Angel Grieves
April 30, 2010



The father of the boy dubbed "Wylie's Angel" said nothing he has seen as a Marine could have prepared him to cope with the death of his son.

“Is it killing me inside? I don't know a father who wouldn't be dying right now,” Staff Sgt. Jerry Isgrigg said.

His 6-year-old son, Gerren, died after his maternal grandmother allegedly abandoned the boy near a pond in a Wylie park. Darlene Phillips is charged with murder in the child's death.

It took investigators eight days to learn Gerren’s identity. In meantime, he was referred to as "Wylie's Angel."

Isgrigg saw his son's body at the Collin County morgue on Tuesday.

“He was covered completely except for his face -- the top part of his head," he said. "Everything else was covered. I'll never forget his face. That image alone is forever burned in my mind.”

He said he also broke down at the site Gerren was found at, where a memorial now honors his memory.

“The letters, the little sayings that they write, the little handprints, all the stuffed animals, the flowers, the candles -- it was that was probably the time that the majority of it really hit me,” he said.

Isgrigg said a bad divorce, his deployments and base reassignments kept him from seeing his son during the last three years. Gerren had violent seizures that prevented him from traveling, Isgrigg said. He said that every time he tried to see his son, there was always a miscommunication or something else that prevented a visit.

But he said he supported his son financially. His military health care plan paid for Gerren’s care, but Isgrigg said he didn't know his former mother-in-law was acting as the boy's primary caregiver.

Isgrigg said he last spoke to his former wife, Nyki Phillips, in mid-April, around the time Gerren's body was found in Wylie. He said he had a short conversation about a change in his benefits, but she never mentioned any issues with Gerren's care.

Police have said that Phillips, who lives in Oklahoma, had not seen her child in three months.

Isgrigg said the only time he met Darlene Phillips, his former wife's mother, was shortly after his son’s birth.

“She wouldn't let him go," he said. "She was always holding him, doing what grandmothers do -- cuddling, spoiling."

Isgrigg said the outpouring of support in North Texas for his son has overwhelmed him. He said he’s considering moving to Wylie, saying the people there are family.

A public memorial service for Gerren will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church in Wylie.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wylienews.com/articles/templates/news.asp?articleid=2110&zoneid=4
FBC WYLIE TO HOST MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR GERREN ISGRIGG MONDAY
April 30, 2010

First Baptist Church Wylie will host a memorial service for Gerren Isgrigg at 7 p.m. Monday, May 3. The service will be held in the main auditorium of the church, located at 100 N. 1st St. in Wylie. Dr. Derek Draper of FBC said the public is invited to attend.
Gerren, who was known as "Wylie's Angel" prior to his identification, is the 6-year-old boy whose lifeless body was found near East Fork Park at Lake Lavon April 15.

[BabsKats]

Just had the Memorial Service on our local news, hundreds of locals turned out, looked to be a beautiful service.  Several pictures of Gerren thru his short life were shown, many taken with his father lovingly holding him.  I sincerely think his father did care deeply for his precious little one, the emotion he showed at the service tonite was heartbreaking.

[Missiontoconvict]

Wylie's Angel' remembered at memorial service

by STEVE STOLER

WFAA

Posted on May 3, 2010 at 10:19 PM

WYLIE — There is peace tonight for "Wylie's Angel" and for this Collin County community.

Tears fell Monday for six-year-old Gerren Isgrigg, the boy whose name was a mystery in the days after he was found dead in a park near Wylie.

Several hundred people attended a memorial service for Gerren at First Baptist Church of Wylie. Wylie Mayor Eric Hogue said the boy will not be forgotten.

“He will be remembered, even though his time on this Earth was so short. His little life ended way too soon and in such a terrible way,”  Hogue said.

Many of the people who came to remember Gerren saw his family for the first time.

Eighteen days ago, when the boy was found in a Wylie park, they knew nothing about him — only that he was six years old and had severe medical disabilities.

Gerren's father, Jerry Isgrigg, spoke to the community that embraced the boy. “It’s harder to be here in front of you all than it is to be in combat," the Marine sergeant said.  "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Isgrigg thanked the community who cared enough about his son to give him a temporary name, "Wylie's Angel," until he was identified.

“If he was here and he could talk, he could laugh, smile and play," Isgrigg said. "He would come up to each and every one of you and give you a huge kiss, and wrap his arms around you.”

Several hundred people who came to the service saw family photos of Gerren.

Karole Ridley tearfully read a poem. “Dear Jesus, is Gerren really in a better place? God whispered back, 'Don't worry, Wylie mommy. He's safe with me.'"

Gerren's father said after his son was born, he questioned his own faith. “Why would God allow a child so young and so precious and so innocent to suffer? I'll probably never actually know that answer,” he said.

Gerren's father says he now realizes his son had a purpose — to bring an entire community together and to affect many people in a personal way.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Wylies-angel-remembered-at-memorial-service-92732369.html

[Missiontoconvict]

North Texans Say Goodbye to Wylie's Angel
By ELLEN GOLDBERG
Updated 11:04 PM CDT, Mon, May 3, 2010

North Texans said goodbye Monday night to "Wylie's Angel," the little boy they never knew, but loved like he was one of their own.

Several hundred people filled First Baptist Church in Wylie for a public memorial for 6-year-old Gerren Isgrigg.

In full military dress, his grieving father, Jerry Isgrigg, struggled to find the words to thank the people of Wylie.

“This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do,” Isgrigg said. “You put so much of your hearts and souls into Gerren.”

Saying Farewell to Wylie's Angel
WATCH

The town of Wylie adopted the special needs boy after his body was found abandoned in a pile of brush on April 15. Investigators and members of the community worked tirelessly for eight days to identify the child.

“If he was here and he could talk and laugh and smile and play, he would come up to each and every one of you and give you a huge kiss and wrap his arms around you, as I wish I could do,” Isgrigg said.

Isgrigg, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Marines, hadn't seen his son since 2007. He said he is now considering moving to Wylie after getting to know the complete strangers who cared and prayed for his son.

”He wasn’t born here, he wasn’t raised here, but in the week I’ve been here, it doesn’t seem he ever left. Y’all are his family," he said.

He said he is comforted by the thought that the little boy, who spent most of his short life sick, is no longer in pain.

Isgrigg said he plans to take his son’s body to Arizona for a private family burial.

Darlene Phillips, the boy's maternal grandmother and primary caretaker, remains in the Collin County jail on a charge of murder in Gerren's death. Investigators say Phillips left the blind, deaf and mute 6-year-old in a Wylie park on April 12.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local-beat/North-Texans-Say-Goodbye-to-Wylies-Angel-92734434.html?__source=Facebook

[Missiontoconvict]

I find it interesting that the mother of Gerren is nowhere, at the very least she should  thank the many in Wylie for all the love and support shown to her son.  In my opinion her absence is disturbing. 

[cookie]

I find it interesting that the mother of Gerren is nowhere, at the very least she should  thank the many in Wylie for all the love and support shown to her son.  In my opinion her absence is disturbing. 

agreed Mission!

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/050410dnmetangelmemorial.456bf86.html
Experts: Grandmother of 'Wylie's Angel' should have sought help
May 4, 2010

 It's unclear what Darlene Phillips thought her options were last month when she left her young grandson – blind, deaf, and unable to move because of his illness – in a remote area of Collin County where he died.

Experts say she should have asked for help.

Phillips, 63, had spent three years caring for the boy, 6-year-old Gerren Isgrigg. Now she sits in the Collin County Jail on suicide watch, facing a murder charge.
 "This is not a job that can be done alone," said Deborah Halpern of the Chicago-based National Family Caregivers Association. "There are places to go for help. Not to seek that out is irresponsible."

Phillips could have put Gerren in a nursing facility.

Nursing homes rarely turn down patients, said Sid Rich, executive director of the Texas Association of Residential Care Communities, a trade group.

"For the most part, they'll take you and figure out how to pay later," he said.

Phillips' husband, Patrick, said the couple discussed putting Gerren in a full-time care facility but opted against it.

"Doctors told us he could die any day," Phillips said. "My wife wanted him to live at home with family."

Medicaid help

In-home health care would have been another option. Anita Bradberry, executive director for the Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice, said Gerren should have qualified for Medicaid, which would have covered all the costs for in-home care. And because of his medical needs, he probably would have qualified immediately.

"I'm not sure where they fell through the cracks," she said.

Phillips also could have turned to extended family. Gerren's father and paternal grandparents have said that all Phillips had to do was ask.

"I know how frustrating it can get," Jerry Isgrigg said of caring for his special-needs son. "We would have come to get him."

Phillips said he and his wife hadn't heard in years from the Isgrigg family and didn't know how to reach them. Gerren's parents divorced in 2006, and the Phillipses' daughter Nyki Phillips had sole custody. She had asked her parents to care for Gerren several years ago, but the Isgrigg family was unaware of the change.

Scores of nonprofits and support groups exist to help caregivers with special-needs children. Finding the right programs, though, is a significant challenge.

"All of the responsibility is on the family to reach out for help," said Clay Boatright, board president of The Arc of Dallas, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities.

The problem, he said, is that "not all parents are equally skilled in reaching out for help or using the Internet or leveraging resources."

"Gerren deserved to have an advocate who could work the system for him," Boatright said.

Baby Moses law

Phillips could have abandoned her grandson at a hospital, fire station or other health care facility. In that case, Marissa Gonzales with the state's Child Protective Services said, law enforcement would have had to decide whether to file criminal charges.

The state's Baby Moses law protects parents from criminal charges only when the child left at a hospital or fire station is no older than 60 days. But Gonzales said any penalties would have been far less severe than the murder charge Phillips faces today.

A group formed in the wake of Gerren's case is looking to expand the haven law to include children ages 10 and younger as well as all special-needs children younger than 18.

Malorie Martinez of Dallas, who created a Facebook page to help investigators learn Gerren's identity, said the group is in its early stages. The idea is simply to keep children from harm.

"We know there are resources out there, but there are people that are desperate and don't want to go through those channels," she said. "Maybe if she could have taken him to a safe haven without being prosecuted, she would have chosen differently."

[cookie]

sad

[newfie]

I agree very sad!  Why didn't she ask for help? I am sorry but Gerren's parents should have been there to help out. The grandmother did not seek out help and this little boy was suffering and starving. His parents did not have a clue because they had not seen him in three years, and now it is too late! It is too late for them to say sorry and cry over this. I know I sound harsh but this could have been avoided. There was a way!!!

[cookie]

I agree very sad!  Why didn't she ask for help? I am sorry but Gerren's parents should have been there to help out. The grandmother did not seek out help and this little boy was suffering and starving. His parents did not have a clue because they had not seen him in three years, and now it is too late! It is too late for them to say sorry and cry over this. I know I sound harsh but this could have been avoided. There was a way!!!

not harsh at all...I feel the same way..

[Wyks]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/050410dnmetangelmemorial.456bf86.html
Experts: Grandmother of 'Wylie's Angel' should have sought help
May 4, 2010

<snipped>

Phillips could have abandoned her grandson at a hospital, fire station or other health care facility. In that case, Marissa Gonzales with the state's Child Protective Services said, law enforcement would have had to decide whether to file criminal charges.

The state's Baby Moses law protects parents from criminal charges only when the child left at a hospital or fire station is no older than 60 days. But Gonzales said any penalties would have been far less severe than the murder charge Phillips faces today.

A group formed in the wake of Gerren's case is looking to expand the haven law to include children ages 10 and younger as well as all special-needs children younger than 18.

Malorie Martinez of Dallas, who created a Facebook page to help investigators learn Gerren's identity, said the group is in its early stages. The idea is simply to keep children from harm.

"We know there are resources out there, but there are people that are desperate and don't want to go through those channels," she said. "Maybe if she could have taken him to a safe haven without being prosecuted, she would have chosen differently."

Thanks Muffy. 

Am thinking it's wonderful that they are looking into expanding the haven law.  If this is successful, it sure may prevent something like this from ever happening again. 

[Green Eyes]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/050410dnmetangelmemorial.456bf86.html
Experts: Grandmother of 'Wylie's Angel' should have sought help
May 4, 2010

<snipped>

Phillips could have abandoned her grandson at a hospital, fire station or other health care facility. In that case, Marissa Gonzales with the state's Child Protective Services said, law enforcement would have had to decide whether to file criminal charges.

The state's Baby Moses law protects parents from criminal charges only when the child left at a hospital or fire station is no older than 60 days. But Gonzales said any penalties would have been far less severe than the murder charge Phillips faces today.

A group formed in the wake of Gerren's case is looking to expand the haven law to include children ages 10 and younger as well as all special-needs children younger than 18.

Malorie Martinez of Dallas, who created a Facebook page to help investigators learn Gerren's identity, said the group is in its early stages. The idea is simply to keep children from harm.

"We know there are resources out there, but there are people that are desperate and don't want to go through those channels," she said. "Maybe if she could have taken him to a safe haven without being prosecuted, she would have chosen differently."

Thanks Muffy. 

Am thinking it's wonderful that they are looking into expanding the haven law.  If this is successful, it sure may prevent something like this from ever happening again. 

Thanks Muffy

I sure hope they step up to the plate and get this done. So we don't have this happen to another child.