Prosecutors say medical findings changed the case from a reported accident to an abuse homicide charge.
GRAYS HARBOR, Wash. — Prosecutors have charged an Aberdeen father with homicide by abuse after court records said his 4-year-old son was found in a plastic tote beneath a family home following months of unanswered questions.
The case against Jacob Scott Bevins, 36, now rests on statements to police, family accounts, a search of the property and preliminary postmortem findings involving Aiden Scott Bevins. Authorities first described the case as a suspected murder investigation. Prosecutors later filed a narrower set of formal charges that focus on alleged abuse, assault and false statements, while Bevins has pleaded not guilty.
Police said the first break came from an inquiry that did not start with Aiden. Officers were called May 12 about a missing-child complaint involving Bevins’ 6-year-old daughter. They determined the girl was safe with her mother. During follow-up work, detectives asked where Aiden was. That question led them to relatives, then to Bevins, and finally to a version of events investigators said could not be confirmed.
According to court records cited by local outlets, Bevins told detectives that Aiden was living with relatives in Idaho. The child’s biological mother, who had been incarcerated, also believed he was with family there because that was what she had been told. Investigators contacted the relative named in the account and learned the child had never been in that person’s care. The relative said Aiden had not lived there and had never been met by that family member.
Police returned to the Aberdeen property with the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team. Investigators said Bevins was confronted with the conflict in his story and became upset. Court documents say he indicated that Aiden was not safe, then admitted the child had died. He told detectives he buried the boy beneath the house. The search that followed ended with the recovery of remains inside a plastic tote wrapped in a garbage bag.
Bevins first described Aiden’s death as an accident, according to the probable cause statement. He said the boy struck his head while running to the bathroom and died later. Investigators initially noted they did not yet have proof that the account was false. The case changed after a preliminary postmortem examination at the Thurston County Coroner’s Office. Authorities said the examination showed extensive injuries and raised concern that Aiden had been abused over time.
The formal charges filed in Grays Harbor County Superior Court were 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 booking information had listed suspicions that included second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and unlawful disposal of remains. Prosecutors are not bound at charging by the exact labels used at booking, and the filed charges are the ones now guiding the court case.
Charging records place Aiden’s death between March 24, 2024, and Aug. 1, 2024, according to local reporting on the case. That window is significant because investigators did not recover his remains until May 2026. It also means authorities are trying to reconstruct events that may have happened roughly two years before the formal charges. Police have not publicly released a full account of who saw Aiden during that period or when his last confirmed sighting occurred.
Aiden’s age and custody history have widened the focus beyond the courtroom. He was born in July 2021 and had been in his father’s primary custody since December 2023, according to probable cause information reported from court. Former foster parents Gary and Magali Lopez told a Seattle television station that Aiden had been in their care for years. Magali Lopez said she contacted authorities, including Child Protective Services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, with concerns about his biological parents.
“Everyone failed him,” Lopez said in an interview after Bevins’ arrest. The statement reflected anger among people who knew Aiden before his death and believed warning signs had been missed. Investigators have not released a full child welfare timeline, and state officials have not publicly addressed every allegation made by family members or former caregivers. The criminal case is focused on Bevins’ alleged conduct, not on a completed public review of state agency decisions.
The court process began with a 72-hour hold requested by prosecutors while they reviewed charges. Bevins then appeared in Grays Harbor County Superior Court, where a judge increased bail to $750,000 after formal charges were filed. He later pleaded not guilty. A not guilty plea is standard at arraignment and means the state must present evidence through the court process before any finding of guilt can be made.
Local reaction has centered on the Aberdeen home where police say the remains were recovered. A neighbor, Tammy Pratt, told a Seattle television station that her daughter saw dirt between a tree and the house. She said the discovery changed how she felt about the yard and the safety of children who visited nearby. Police have not said that any neighbor was suspected of wrongdoing or that anyone outside the home knew what investigators allege had happened.
The evidence described so far leaves several major questions open. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the complete autopsy report, the full list of injuries, the exact date of death or the full chain of contact between relatives, child welfare officials and police before May. Those issues could become central as prosecutors and defense attorneys examine records, statements and expert medical testimony.
Prosecutors are expected to use medical findings, police interviews and family records to build their case, while the defense will have the chance to challenge the state’s evidence before trial. Bevins remains jailed as the case proceeds in Grays Harbor County Superior Court.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.