GUILTY OH - Ember Warfel, 21 mos, found dead in crib, 29 July 2015

[SweetT]

I think the poor guy did have some kind of a mental break. Or else he would have found a secret place to bury her.

I think he was lazy and didn't care, he'd already gotten away with one murder so figured he could with this one too. I have no sympathy. He won custody of those kids so he had to have shown some normalness or capability to watch children or the judge would not have granted him custody. I'm sure those records and what he did and said to prove he was a better parent will be used against him now.

 

[tlcya]

Police found cocaine in the motel room where Warfel had been living before the discovery of his daughter. Drug possession and endangering children charges are expected, according to prosecutors.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...found-dead-in-crib-pleads-insanity/ar-BBlClga

Facts are confusing on this one. It seems he was staying in a hotel room. His decomposing child was at his apartment. Did he move to the hotel room because he could no longer stomach the smell of the body and the garbage he surrounded her with?

If so then why was the cable guy at the apartment?

Bottom line. I ain't buying what Marfel is selling.

 

[LadyL]

doesn't even look like the same kid IMO and definitely does not look healthy to me
also, I'd like to know who cut her bangs ...

ETA: her right eye was like that when she was smaller if you look at her baby photo

This new Daily Mail article doesn't have any additional info, but does anyone else think that baby Ember's face seemed to undergo some marked physical changes as she got older? She was adorable of course, but the spacing of her features and one eye seem just outside of a normal range, to me.

Not sure if I'm explaining well, but I think it's possible she developed a medical condition, or something had happened to her before she died?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...by-daughter-s-decomposed-body-crib-month.html

 

[LadyL]

where is Ember's brother?

they had 4 children ... baby Erin died in 2013 - her obit lists two siblings, a boy & a girl

Eric was with the 7 year-old sister when he was arrested

where is the boy?

Erin's obit for reference:

http://www.meaningfulfunerals.net/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view/fh_id/10639/id/2042342

 

[1&2&3]

YEAH, this is my 1,000 post! Being on WS, I have met many new friends, travelled the world, and learned more about life than one could ever dream of. Thanks to each of you for broadening and enlightening my world! :tyou:

LADYL you beat me to it in asking about the brother mentioned in the obit. That is a good question, where is he? How do you know he was with the 5 year old?

Somewhere I read that the 5 year old has her mother's last name, so would guess the boy has it too or someone else's. Were these two older children not this baby killing father's? It is unimaginable what these older two children have lived through and seen/suspected. Not to mention the poor babies who were killed.

Just thinking to myself, a new federal law needs to be made that if a suspicious death occurs and an autopsy does not reveal a COD, the body cannot be cremated. Then, at a later date, if a theory or serial killer appears, the remains are still available for further testing. Do not know if that applies in this case, but have seen too many past cases where there is suspicion on COD, body is cremated, all proof is gone. JMO.

There is more to this story to come out. . .

 

[ashleyd8402]

I've been closely following this case. Forgive me because I don't have a news link to back up my information at the moment, but I watched a news reporter report that the older brother was in New York with the mother.

Ember had very obvious facial characteristics of FAS. Given mom's documented substance abuse struggles, I wonder if FAS and other drug exposure contributed to the children's small sizes and early deaths.

I'm not defending dad. His actions are inexcusable.

 

[Rayemonde]

"The defendant never told the Medina police that he was going to flee the state of Ohio,” O’Shea wrote. “Further, the defendant adamantly denies that he ever told the police or any person that he had left garbage in the room of the decedent to cover up any smells.”...

Holman acknowledged Wednesday that the accusations about trash could be false, but said that changes nothing.
“The understanding of the assistant prosecutor who spoke with police was that Mr. Warfel had indicated he put trash in the room to mask the smell,” he said. “Even if my office was unintentionally provided mistaken information, the fact remains that there was trash in the apartment that had the effect of masking the smell.”...

According to an affidavit filed by Medina Detective Joshua Grusendorf, additional charges against Warfel could include murder. It’s the first time in court documents that the possibility of the charge was mentioned

I'm reserving judgement on this one until the COD is in... Maybe he's a child killer, or maybe the tragic unexpected death of a second child tipped him over the edge and he lost his mind.

Little Ember does look like she may have had some health problems... In the above article it says that her mother was a drug user and that's part of the reason the father got custody. The older child is now in the custody of her grandparents, so hopefully she's safe and well.

 

[Rayemonde]

Cute video of Ember on a swing on her dad's facebook page. Interesting comments, too.

https://www.facebook.com/eric.warfel.94/videos/10100733210716837/

 

[Rayemonde]

So according to MSM, little Ember died on or around June 18th 2015. On June 13th - 15th he posted on facebook, asking if the movie Jurassic World would be too scary for his 7 year old. He says she liked the first Jurassic Park but clutched at him during the T-rex scene, and he wondered if Jurassic World had many scary scenes like that.
Honestly, from his fb he seems like a loving, dedicated dad...
From June 16th to July 15th there's a gap in his fb posting. His first post back on fb is really long opinion piece about the Iran issue. No posts to indicate that something bad has happened.

On April 1st 2013 he put up a picture of his first baby who died, and says "RIP".

 

[musicaljoke]

Let me make a wild prediction: I don't think that the insanity defense is going to work out for him. :/

 

[Rayemonde]

Included in the new motion is a three-page letter written by Warfel's father. In the letter, John Warfel says his son grew up in Northeast Ohio and cares deeply for his 7-year-old daughter, his sister and his friends.

"[Eric's] 7-year-old daughter means everything to him. He has tried to provide for her," John Warfel wrote in the letter. "He is very close with us, his parents, as well as his sister."

The letter briefly touches on Ember's death, saying the girl had "some development issues" during her life.

http://www.cleveland.com/medina/index.ssf/2015/09/attorney_again_seeks_bond_redu.html

 

[Rayemonde]

Details from a letter the acccused's father sent to the court:

he grandfather of a 20-month-old girl, who in July was discovered dead in her Medina home, has suggested in court documents that “development issues” may have contributed to her death....

In early February 2014, Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services took custody of Elizabeth, citing school absences and Galdamez’s drug history, which dated to her time in New York. Warfel’s parents, John and Delynn, of Medina Township, were granted temporary custody of Elizabeth in June 2014. Family Services imposed directives to retain custody, which Warfel followed but Galdamez did not.
Warfel filed in September 2014 for divorce from Galdamez in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court. The divorce was finalized in December 2014, and Warfel was granted custody of Ember and visitation rights to Elizabeth. Galdamez, who retained custody of Ethan, returned to New York.
Warfel moved to Medina to be closer to Elizabeth, who still was living with Warfel’s parents. He rented an apartment in the Forest Meadows Apartment Homes complex on East Reagan Parkway. Elizabeth moved in with Warfel in February 2015 after he was awarded custody of her.

http://medinagazette.northcoastnow....f-child-found-dead-details-eric-warfels-past/

 

[Rayemonde]

 

[musicaljoke]

I feel sympathy for the man who found Ember's decomposing body. So awful!

 

[rosie_lee]

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/loca...-medina-dad-who-left-dead-baby-crib/72202514/

MEDINA, OH—New charges have been filed against Eric Warfel, the man who is accused of putting trash in the child's room to disguise the smell of her decomposing body. It's believed the toddler died on or about June 18.
More at link...

~~~~~~
Charges thus far:
■ Endangering children
■ Possession of cocaine
■ Gross abuse of a corpse
■ Tampering with evidence

 

[AmyPond]

Poor little one.

 

[rosie_lee]

http://m.cleveland19.com/19actionnews/db_330498/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=6VXj6HvH


MEDINA, OH (WOIO) - A pre-trial hearing Monday for a Medina father accused of leaving his dead baby daughter in a crib for a month.
[...]
Warfel has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and remains in jail on a $1 million bond.

A trial date of Jan. 19, 2016 was set at Monday's pre-trial hearing.

 

[Rayemonde]

Warfel's trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 19, 2016. He remains in custody at the Medina County Jail on $1 million bond, but Judge Christopher Collier said at a Nov. 9 hearing that he would reconsider bond now that Warfel has been ruled competent.

Defense attorney Michael O'Shea must file a new motion to reduce bond by Nov. 30. The prosecution has requested an additional three business days to respond to that motion, according to court records.

Investigators are also taking another look at the 2013 death of Warfel's daughter Erin, who was 5 months old when she died of what the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner deemed a "sudden unexplained infant death."

Warfel was granted full custody of Ember when he he and his wife divorced last year. A judge said the girl's mother, Malinali Galdamez, had a history of substance abuse that made her unfit to care for Ember.

It's not clear from divorce records which parent was granted custody of the couple's 7-year-old daughter, as that case was handled by the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. She is currently living with Warfel's parents.

http://www.cleveland.com/medina/index.ssf/2015/11/medina_man_faces_new_charge_ac.html

 

[HaikuMommy]

I would really like to know what he claims happened. Does dad claim she passed away due to an accident? SIDS? Due to complications of FAS or exposure to drugs in the womb? Or did he cause her death (which I doubt he would admit)? He seemed like a doting dad so I can almost believe her death was not his fault and he just lost his mind after... But I'm thinking it's more likely that he was on a drug binge, and neglected her or otherwise caused her death, and then just hid her away And continued using to ease the pain. I believe he loved Ember, so I wonder if he just gave up on life and couldn't deal with telling anyone or doing anything. I'm guessing he just wanted to see his other child and stay high to numb the pain as long as possible. He may have been in that state of "not-quite-suicidal but if I overdose oh well"... At least I would hope he felt SOMETHING. Just some thoughts, still wishing I understood this case. Poor Ember.

 

[rosie_lee]

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-...sed-from-jail-moved-to-mental-health-facility

MEDINA, Ohio - The Medina dad accused of leaving his dead daughter in her crib for so long that she decomposed has been moved to a mental health facility to await trial.

According to court documents, Eric Warfel's family posted $20,000—10 percent of bond—for his release. They agreed to cover the cost of treatment at a mental health facility until his case goes to trial.

More at link...
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

So, he is not ordered to go there but voluntarily is going. From the article it also says he was found competent to stand trial. Sounds to me like he is trying his best to find something mentally wrong in order to avoid a sentence.
IMO