Jasper Henderling-Warner, 3
The unmarried parents of a 3-year-old boy whose body has been with the Lewis County coroner for more than five months have still been unable to agree on where to cremate his remains.
Nikki Warner and Casey Henderling, the parents of Jasper Henderling-Warner, were both served after Coroner Warren McLeod filed a lawsuit against them on Feb. 11.
“We want to get this poor little guy released so he can be laid to rest,” McLeod said. “… He’s a little 3-year-old guy, he deserves to be put to rest. He deserved to be put rest several months ago.”
Warner responded, and in court documents filed on March 19, wrote that while she and Henderling agree to split the remains, she had parental custody and wants her son to be released to the mortuary of her choosing.
According to state law, the surviving parents are responsible for Jasper’s remains.
“It doesn’t say who had custody, who was the better parent, who owes (whom) child support — any of the arguments,” McLeod said.
Henderling did not respond within 20 days of receiving the summons, according to court documents.
A trial setting is scheduled for April 14 in Lewis County Superior Court.
McLeod said the two have a no-contact order, but, prior to the lawsuit, the prosecutor’s office was willing to allow a face-to-face meeting so the two could come to an agreement. He said Warner refused the offer.
“If we can’t get them into a room to agree, we’re not going to keep playing phone tag with both of them,” McLeod said. “And neither one is yielding. Someone’s got to look out for Jasper and that’s what I think I’m doing.”
The coroner’s office took custody of the body on Oct. 5, 2014, the day Jasper died. An autopsy was completed and the boy’s death was ruled a homicide.
A superior court judge issued an order releasing Jasper’s body on Jan. 28.
The parents originally agreed and paid to have his remains cremated at a Longview mortuary and then planned to divide his ashes. In early December 2014, McLeod learned the two had a dispute and couldn’t agree on which mortuary should cremate the body, but still agreed to split the ashes.
A Vader couple, Danny and Brenda Wing, who had been caring for Jasper, were arrested on Nov. 7, 2014 for the boy’s death. They were charged with homicide by abuse, or, as an alternative, first-degree manslaughter. Danny Wing took a deal and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, domestic violence, and third-degree child assault, domestic violence, on March 19. Brenda Wing has a court hearing on Thursday.
