The Aberdeen boy had spent time in foster care before returning to his biological family.
ABERDEEN, Wash. — The death of 4-year-old Aiden Scott Bevins has pushed a criminal case against his father into court while renewing questions about how Washington handles children returned from foster care.
Jacob Scott Bevins, 36, has pleaded not guilty to homicide by abuse and three related charges after police said Aiden’s remains were found buried beneath a property where Bevins lived. The case began with a missing-child complaint involving another child, but it has grown into a broader account of family warnings, custody claims and questions about what agencies knew before investigators found Aiden in May.
Aiden had spent time with foster parents Gary and Magali Lopez before returning to his biological family, according to family accounts reported by Seattle-area news outlets. Magali Lopez said she contacted authorities, including child welfare officials, because she was worried about the boy’s biological parents. After Aiden’s remains were found, she gave a blunt reaction that has shaped public understanding of the case. “I can’t explain to you the anger that I feel,” Lopez said. “Everyone failed him.”
The criminal record reported so far shows Aiden had been in his father’s primary custody since December 2023. Prosecutors later alleged the child died sometime between March 24, 2024, and Aug. 1, 2024. If that timeline holds, the boy may have been dead for many months while relatives believed, or were told, that he was somewhere else. His biological mother, who had been incarcerated, told authorities she had not seen him for more than a year and believed he was living with family in Idaho.
Police said the Idaho account was also the story given by Bevins when detectives asked about Aiden. Investigators contacted the relative and were told Aiden had never lived there. The relative said they had never met the child. That contradiction led detectives back to the Aberdeen property with the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team. Court documents say Bevins then admitted the child had died and that he had buried him beneath the home.
The recovery of Aiden’s remains on May 15 turned a welfare question into a death investigation. Authorities said the boy was found inside a plastic tote wrapped in a garbage bag. Bevins told investigators the child died after hitting his head while running to the bathroom, according to court records. Prosecutors later said a preliminary postmortem examination showed extensive injuries and raised concern about ongoing abuse. The full medical evidence has not yet been presented in open court.
Child welfare questions moved quickly into the public debate because of Aiden’s prior foster care history. State Rep. Jim Walsh, a Republican whose district includes Aberdeen, criticized Washington’s approach to keeping children with biological parents and compared concerns in Aiden’s case with earlier child welfare controversies. Walsh said he feared the law gave too much weight to family reunification even when safety concerns existed. Those policy claims are separate from the charges against Bevins and have not been decided in the criminal case.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families has not released a full public timeline of Aiden’s contact with the child welfare system in the reports available so far. That leaves a major gap in the story. It is not publicly clear which reports were made, how they were classified, what follow-up occurred, what court orders may have existed or which workers had contact with the family. Those facts may later surface through public records, legislative review, court filings or agency statements.
For prosecutors, the immediate issue is narrower. Bevins was formally charged with homicide by abuse, first-degree assault of a child, failure to notify the coroner of human remains and making a false statement to a public servant. Earlier police booking information listed suspicion of murder, manslaughter, unlawful disposal of remains and false statements. The filed charges now define the case that will move through Grays Harbor County Superior Court.
At an early hearing, a judge granted a 72-hour hold while prosecutors considered formal charges. After charges were filed, bail was increased to $750,000. Bevins later pleaded not guilty. The court process will require prosecutors to prove not only that Aiden died from abuse, but also that Bevins was legally responsible under the charged offenses. The defense may challenge medical findings, police interviews, timelines and the meaning of statements attributed to Bevins.
The case has also shaken neighbors near the Aberdeen property. Tammy Pratt, who lives in a connected duplex, told a Seattle television station her daughter noticed dirt between a tree and the house. “I have grandkids that come here and play too,” Pratt said. “I won’t let them go back there.” Her account placed the scene in a small residential setting where the allegations felt close to ordinary family life.
Aiden’s death remains one case in one county, but the questions around it now reach beyond the criminal charge sheet. Relatives and former caregivers want answers about when he was last seen, why the Idaho story went unchallenged for so long and whether earlier concerns could have changed his path. Officials have confirmed the police investigation, the recovery of remains and the filed charges, but the full agency record has not been made public.
Bevins remains in jail on $750,000 bail as the criminal case continues. The next phase is expected to focus on evidence deadlines, medical records, police interviews and any records that show who knew where Aiden was believed to be before May 2026.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.