He called the baby wipe stuffed down an infant’s throat a ‘freak accident,’ cops say
A Tarpon Springs man arrested for attempted murder called it a “freak accident,” but cops aren’t buying it.
Around 5:46 p.m. on Tuesday, the Tarpon Springs Police Department responded to a report of a 5-month-old infant with a blood-soaked baby wipe lodged down their throat. Police arrested 32-year-old Michael Hurley, who was alone with the child at the time.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Hurley told officers he was “wiping around the child’s mouth with the wipe,” but “cannot remember” and “does not know what happened” for the wipe to become trapped in the baby’s throat.
The child’s mother arrived at the home as the baby was in the process of choking. Cops say she ran outside and screamed for help. Bay News 9 reports that her neighbor is a medical professional who held the baby upside down while the mother removed the wipe.
“I flipped the bay over, held his back, tapped the back and told her to put the tip of her finger in his mouth and pull it out. She did, and it fell out on the floor,” said Caliyah Anderson, who rushed over to help save the baby’s life.
Investigators retrieved the wipe after searching the house and found it still balled up “with no visible white,” according to an arrest report. Cops further inspected the wipe and found that there were spots on the inside of the ball that weren’t covered in blood, which they say suggests it was not soaked in blood when it was forced down the mouth.
The child’s medical status was described as “critical.” According to Bay News 9, the baby was still in intensive care as of Friday morning. As a result of birth complications, the child already suffers from “developmental delays” and has issues with motor skills, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Hurley was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. He faced an additional charge while held in jail Wednesday for unlawful possession of a concealed handcuff key. He is being held at the Pinellas County Jail on $505,000 bond.
The investigation is ongoing.