It started with a missing 6-year-old girl. It ended with a murdered 4-year-old boy found under the dirt of his grandmother’s backyard in Aberdeen, Washington. And at the center of it all — the children’s own father.
On May 12, Aberdeen police received a complaint about the whereabouts of a young girl. Officers tracked her down safely — she was with her mother. But while following up on that case, something else caught their attention. Relatives told police they hadn’t seen little Aiden Bevins, 4, in a very long time.
That detail would crack the case wide open.
Police went to the home of Aiden’s grandmother, where the boy had reportedly been living with his father, 36-year-old Jacob Scott Bevins. When officers asked about Aiden, Bevins didn’t hesitate. He told them the boy was staying with relatives in another state — safe, healthy, just away.
Police called those relatives immediately. Their answer was chilling: they hadn’t seen Aiden at all.
Officers returned to the property on May 15 — this time with the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team. What detectives found after questioning Bevins a second time stopped everyone cold.
Aiden’s body was buried in the backyard.
A cause of death has not yet been officially released, but authorities wasted no time. Bevins was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful disposal of human remains, and making a false statement to police. He is currently locked up at Grays Harbor County Jail — held without bail. Formal charges are still pending.
What makes this story even harder to stomach is what Aiden’s former foster mother revealed. Magali Lopez, who cared for Aiden for several years alongside her husband Gary, said she had repeatedly raised red flags — contacting Child Protective Services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families — about Aiden’s biological parents.
Despite those warnings, Aiden was still returned to his biological family.
“I can’t explain to you the anger that I feel. Everyone failed him.” — Magali Lopez, Aiden’s former foster mother
What Happens Next: Bevins awaits formal charges as investigators continue to build their case. The role of state child welfare agencies in Aiden’s return to his biological parents is now under intense scrutiny — and for many who followed this story, the hardest question is the simplest one: why wasn’t this child protected?
Aiden Bevins was 4 years old. He deserved better from every adult in his life — and from every system that was supposed to keep him safe.
