The trial for a Medina dad accused of leaving his dead baby daughter in a crib without notifying anyone is being delayed because the autopsy on the baby is not yet complete.
According to court documents, Eric Warfel's attorney filed a motion to delay the trial because the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet completed the baby's autopsy.
Court records indicate that the autopsy is taking longer due to the body's advanced state of decomposition.
Judge Christopher Collier approved the motion to delay the trial—which was scheduled to begin Jan. 19. Warfel is still scheduled to appear in court Jan. 14 for a pre-trial hearing.
Warfel awaits trial at a mental health facility. His family agreed to cover the cost of treatment at the facility so he didn't have to wait in jail.
He was indicted on charges of gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence after his 1-year-old daughter Ember was found decomposed in her crib by a a worker for an internet installation company in July.
She had been dead for about a month when she was found.
Warfel pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but an Akron psycho-diagnostic clinic found that he is competent to stand trial.
