Police said Aiden Bevins was found after detectives checked a false claim that he lived out of state.
ABERDEEN, Wash. — A quiet residential property in Aberdeen became the center of a child death case after police said they found the remains of 4-year-old Aiden Bevins buried beneath a family home.
The discovery has led to criminal charges against Aiden’s father, 36-year-old Jacob Scott Bevins, and left neighbors, relatives and former caregivers looking back at months of uncertainty over the boy’s whereabouts. Bevins has pleaded not guilty to 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.
The property first drew police attention after officers responded May 12 to a complaint about Bevins’ 6-year-old daughter. Officers determined the girl was with her mother and that the complaint was a custody issue. Detectives then asked about Aiden, whose absence raised concern among relatives. Family members told investigators they had not seen the boy for a long time, according to court records and police accounts reported by local news outlets.
Bevins told detectives that Aiden was staying with relatives in Idaho. That account appeared to explain why the child was not at the Aberdeen home, and Aiden’s biological mother also believed he was in Idaho while she was incarcerated. But investigators checked with the relative and were told the boy was not there. The relative said Aiden had never lived with them and had never even been met by that side of the family.
That finding sent police back to the home with the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team. Court records say Bevins became visibly upset when detectives confronted him. When asked whether Aiden was safe, he shook his head no. Investigators said he then told them the child had died and that he had buried him beneath the house. On May 15, crews recovered the remains from the property.
The scene left a mark on the neighborhood. Tammy Pratt, who lives in a duplex connected to the suspect’s home, told a Seattle television station that her daughter had seen 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.” Police have not said that Pratt or other neighbors had any role in the case, but her remarks captured the fear that spread after the search.
Investigators said Aiden’s remains were found inside a plastic tote wrapped in a garbage bag. Bevins first told police the child died after hitting his head while running to the bathroom, according to the probable cause statement. At that early point, investigators wrote that they did not yet have evidence proving the account false. A preliminary postmortem examination later found extensive injuries, and prosecutors said the findings were consistent with concern for ongoing abuse.
Prosecutors allege Aiden died sometime between March 24, 2024, and Aug. 1, 2024. The remains were not recovered until May 2026. That long gap is now one of the central facts in the case. It affects the medical evidence, the witness timeline and the question of how a 4-year-old could vanish from regular contact with family and caregivers without a criminal investigation beginning sooner.
Aiden had previously spent time in foster care with Gary and Magali Lopez, according to family accounts reported after the arrest. Magali Lopez said she had contacted authorities about concerns involving the child’s biological parents. Her grief and anger became public after police confirmed Bevins’ arrest. “Everyone failed him,” Lopez said. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families has not publicly released a complete account of its contacts with Aiden’s family in the reports available so far.
The case also reached Olympia’s political debate over child welfare. State Rep. Jim Walsh, whose district includes Aberdeen, said Aiden’s death renewed his concerns about Washington policy on keeping children with biological parents. His comments placed the case in a wider argument over family reunification, foster care and child safety. The criminal case, however, remains focused on whether prosecutors can prove the charges against Bevins.
Bevins was arrested early June 4 and initially booked on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful disposal of human remains and making false or misleading statements. After a court appearance, a judge granted prosecutors a 72-hour hold. Formal charges filed later included homicide by abuse and first-degree assault of a child. A judge also increased bail to $750,000, according to local court coverage.
The not guilty plea keeps the case in the pretrial stage. Prosecutors are expected to rely on police interviews, the search of the property, family statements and medical findings. Defense attorneys may focus on the timeline, the cause and manner of death, and whether the state can prove each element of the charged crimes. No trial testimony has been taken, and the allegations remain unproven unless a judge or jury reaches a conviction.
For Aberdeen residents near the property, the legal process now runs alongside the memory of the search itself. The house, the yard, the tree and the disturbed dirt described by a neighbor have become part of the public record of Aiden’s death. Officials have not announced a final public report explaining every step that led to the discovery.
The next court milestones are expected to address evidence, scheduling and the medical records that prosecutors say support the homicide by abuse charge. Bevins remains held on $750,000 bail in Grays Harbor County as attorneys prepare the case for further hearings.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.