GERREN JOSEPH ISGRIGG - "Wylie's Angel" - 6 yo - (2010) Wylie (E of Plano) TX

Jerry Isgrigg is a father grieving. He said Friday that
he's been preparing for years for the day that his special-needs
son would die. But the circumstances behind Gerren Isgrigg's
death, the arrest of Gerren's grandmother and the outpouring of
concern about the boy have been overwhelming, he said.




Jerry Isgrigg




"I wish other families never have to go through
this," said Isgrigg, a staff sergeant in the Marines who traveled
here this week from California. Gerren
was found dead near a Collin County pond on April 15 by a mowing
crew. For eight days, Wylie police and the Collin County Child Abuse
Task Force sought to identify him. On April 23, a tip from the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children led to the
6-year-old's identity. Later that night,
Gerren's maternal grandmother and primary caregiver, Darlene
Phillips, was arrested in connection with his death. She's
charged with murder. The investigation is ongoing.
Isgrigg said he has a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. He
had thought Gerren was still with his ex-wife, who got custody
after their 2006 divorce.
Isgrigg said seeing his son in the morgue was the most difficult thing
he's ever had to do. "As tiny as it was, it's the last time I'll hold
his hand," Isgrigg said. "I gave him a kiss goodbye." Gerren will be buried in Arizona with family.
A memorial service is planned for 7 p.m. Monday at the First Baptist
Church in Wylie, Isgrigg said. "What do
you say to a town that has put their heart and soul into a child,
a total stranger?" Isgrigg asked. "Wylie treats Gerren like he
was born and raised in this town and has never left."

The father of
the 6-year-old boy who was found dead last month in Wylie
has obtained a temporary restraining order over burial
arrangements. Jerry Isgrigg said Tuesday that his ex-wife, who
got sole custody of their son after the couple's 2006 divorce, stopped
all communication with him a week ago. The two have not talked since
April 23. That's the day investigators identified the body of Gerren
Isgrigg, who was found more than a week earlier near a Collin County
pond.Gerren's maternal grandmother, Darlene Phillips, faces a
murder charge in connection with his death. Phillips, 63, was the
primary caretaker of Gerren, who was blind, deaf and unable to move
because of a seizure disorder. Isgrigg said he filed the request
in Collin County probate court last week to ensure that Gerren's mother,
Nyki Phillips, doesn't act on her own.This case is "so she just
can't come in and take him and then disappear," Isgrigg said.Isgrigg
wants his son to have a Christian funeral and burial in Arizona.
According to his request, Phillips has indicated that she wants her son
cremated or buried in Arkansas, Oklahoma or Missouri."I'm trying
to work it out, but she just doesn't want to play," Isgrigg said of the
arrangements. The court has granted the restraining order, which
means that Gerren's body will remain at the North Dallas
Funeral Home in Farmers
Branch until the court rules which parent has the
right to decide on burial arrangements.Phillips could not be
reached for comment. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.A mowing
crew found Gerren's body on April 15 in the brush on U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers land. Wylie Police and the Collin
County Child Abuse Task Force teamed up with the National Center for
Missing and Exploited Children to identify him. A Dallas woman who
started a Facebook
page to help identify the boy dubbed him Wylie's Angel. His
story has captured the hearts of thousands around the world. A
tip to the center's hotline led to Gerren's identity.Darlene
Phillips told investigators she left Gerren at the park with a note that
read: "I'm 6, I have seizures, I need medication and a feeding tube."
No note was found.Patrick Phillips said his wife has been caring
for Gerren for the past three years. He said their daughter asked the
couple to watch Gerren for a few weeks and then never came back."I
can't believe they're fighting over him now," said Phillips, who has
not talked with either of Gerren's parents. "Neither one showed any
interest before."

The parents of a
disabled boy found dead last month in Wylie
have agreed on the details of his burial.
Six-year-old
Gerren Isgrigg will be buried in a private ceremony in Arizona, where
his father, a Marine sergeant, has relatives. The service will take
place at a time and place mutually acceptable to the boy's estranged
parents. The agreement, reached Monday morning, ends a dispute
between the boy's father, Jerry Isgrigg, and his mother, Nyki Phillips,
who had sole custody of the child. The two sides were in probate court
in Collin County on Monday. Gerren, who had a seizure disorder
and was blind, deaf and unable to move, was found dead near a Collin
County pond on April 15. His maternal grandmother, Darlene Phillips, was
his primary caregiver and has been charged with his murder. Jerry
Isgrigg said previously that he wanted a Christian funeral and burial
in Arizona for his son. Phillips, his ex-wife, had indicated that she
wanted the boy's remains cremated or a burial in Arkansas, Oklahoma or
Missouri. Isgrigg had sought and won a temporary restraining
order to keep his son's body from being removed from North Texas until
the question of final arrangements could be resolved. Phillips
declined to comment. Isgrigg could not be reached.

The jury trial of Darlene Phillips has also been rescheduled. Phillips is charged with leaving her handicapped 6-year-old grandson, Geren Joseph Isgrigg, at a Lake Lavon park where he died. Her trial – originally scheduled for Dec. 7 has been pushed to June 20, 2011.

http://www.wylienews.com/articles/templates/news.asp?articleid=2691&zoneid=4

Wylie's Angel Case: Father Tells Court He "Failed" Son


64-Year-Old Grandmother, Darlene Phillips, Pleads Guilty; Gets 28-Year Murder Sentence




June 2, 2011
MCKINNEY, TEXAS—
The father of a boy known as "Wylie`s Angel" expressed his own regrets inside a Collin County courtroom today.

"In some way, fashion or form, I failed my son," said Jerry Isgrigg.

Jerry Isgrigg gave an emotional victim impact statement, bringing closure to the case against Darlene Phillips, his son Gerren`s 64-year-old maternal grandmother. Wednesday, Phillips struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

"She plead to 28-years in prison for the offense of murder. Her life is basically over," said Collin County Assistant District Attorney Curtis Howard.

Police say Gerren was still alive when Phillips left him near Lake Lavon in Wylie in April of last year. Gerren had special needs, a feeding tube and suffered from seizures . Phillips was the boy's primary caregiver. Isgrigg said he couldn't bring himself to look at her in court. He said he had no empathy.

"No child should ever be treated in that manner," said Isgrigg.

Members of the Wylie community were also in court.

"I was hoping to feel a lot more reflief. I had a lot of anger in court," said Wylie resident Peggy Simants.

Many spent countless hours working to I.D. Gerren after his body was found.

"We were his voice and his sound. We`re the ones that did everything we could to find him, find who had him, find who his parents were," said Simants.

Isgirgg says the women of Wylie are now like sisters to him.

"Without these ladies, I don`t know where I`d be right now," said Isgrigg.

He says because of everything they did for Gerren's case, he'll consider the people of Wylie family forever.

"They`ll be my family until I have a foot in the grave, they`ll be my family," he said.

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-wylies-angel-court-case-plea-father-speaks-story,0,6605861.story
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