"Wylie's Angel": Father Speaks Out About Grief and Confusion Surrounding Son's Death
DALLAS (CBS) The father of the boy known as "Wylie's Angel" spoke to reporters Friday about his disabled son's death at the hands, allegedly, of his maternal grandmother. Jerry Isgrigg expressed confusion about his son's death and gratitude to a community who accepted the dead child as one of their own when the boy's then unidentified body was found April 15 near a pond in Wylie, Texas, outside Dallas.
PICTURES: Hundreds
Gather at Vigil for Wylie's Angel
Isgrigg told reporters that he hadn't seen his son, who was later identified as Gerren Joseph Isgrigg, in three years because he was in the military and thought Gerren was with his ex-wife who had sole custody, according to the Dallas Morning News.
For Isgrigg, a Marine, the toughest moment was seeing his son at the Medical Examiner's Office, according to the paper.
"It was the hardest thing I ever had to do," he said. "I pulled on his hand as tiny as it was, it's the last time I will hold his hand. I gave him a kiss goodbye."
Gerren's grandmother, Darlene Phillips, is currently in custody facing murder charges in connection with Gerren's death. Police say Phillips hid the child under a blanket with a note about his condition three days before a mowing crew found his body.
Police still aren't saying how the six-year-old died; there were no signs of trauma. But they firmly place the blame on Phillips, according to local station WFAA.
"Circumstances she was in control of led to his murder," said Wylie police detective Venece Perepiczka.
Isgrigg said that he plans to take Gerren's body back to Arizona to be buried, and a memorial service will be held Monday night in Wylie, Texas.
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PICTURES: Hundreds
Gather at Vigil for Wylie's Angel
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