Police officials said the 30-year-old dad, later identified as Joseph, was taken into custody and later charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child more than two years after the death of his daughter Iris. The father reportedly stuffed a wet wipe deep down the baby girl’s throat only to then try blaming the infant’s toddler sister. Investigators later revealed that the father was the only person present in the house who could have shoved the napkin so far down the youngster’s throat, minutes after he was allegedly overheard by a relative yelling at the baby. The first responders found the father inside doing chest compressions and took over efforts to revive the infant. Efforts to remove the obstruction were unsuccessful.
The baby was turning blue and was rushed to the hospital, according to a press release from the sheriff’s agency. Despite all the life-saving efforts, the baby died. During an interview with investigators, the father said that his daughter choked and he could only see a small white object in the back of her mouth. The dad then claimed that he left Iris unattended on a couch with his 18-month-old daughter for about 10 minutes.
When he returned to the room, the father reportedly discovered his baby choking and in distress, but investigators said that he still waited 5 minutes before calling 911. During an exam of the baby, a wet wipe was removed from deep within the child’s throat. Investigators later revealed that the only person present at the time who could have placed the wipe that deep in the baby’s throat was Joseph, contrary to his claims that his 18-month-old daughter was to blame. Medics prove that neither the baby or her infant sister could have shoved the wet wipe down that far her throat
One doctor said she did not believe a baby could inhale an entire baby wipe, and at that age of development infants have a tongue-thrust reaction to remove things from their mouths versus swallowing them. Investigators believe the father was tired of hearing his daughter’s incessant crying. On the evening of the Iris’ death, the children’s mother was working a shift at a local restaurant and left the children’s father to watch them both. Her surviving daughter, now aged 4, is currently living with other family members.
