US Dad of 6-Wk Old Girl Charged With Child Assault After Putting Baby Inside 10 Degrees Freezer to Stop Her From Crying, Bail Set at US$1M
Charges of child assault, criminal mistreatment and interfering with the reporting of domestic violence have been filed against American Tyler James Deutsch who has been accused of putting his 6-week-old baby daughter inside a 10° freezer for an hour, all in a horrendous attempt to stop the infant from crying. The 25-year-old father pleaded not guilty to all charges. Bail has been set at a whopping US$1 million.
His misdemeanor was caught by the baby's mother when she chanced upon him pulling out their child from the freezer when she arrived home from work on Saturday. Mark Lindquist, Pierce County Prosecutor, said it is hoped the baby will survive her ordeal but doctors can't say for now the potential complications of her freezing experience.
The baby was only wearing a diaper when her father dumped her into the freezer.
The mother, upon seeing what happened to her child, freaked out and snatched the infant from the father. She dialed 911 but her attempts to get help was cut off by Mr Deutsch. The 22-year-old mother then ran out of their trailer park, seeking help from neighbors to complete the emergency call.
Mr Deutsch told police he fell asleep because he was tired from working all night. When he woke up, he saw the baby was not beside him where he had supposedly left her. He even said he had no idea how the baby got herself into the freezer, which also held a half-full bag of ice and a bag of cauliflower.
Court documents further said Mr Deutsch changed his story several times before finally admitting that because he was tired and she was crying that's why he put the baby in the freezer.
"It was only a six-week-old kid," Ed Troyer of Pierce County Sheriff's Dept was quoted by Daily Mail.
"A six-week-old kid can't do much other than cry. And from what we understand he wanted the baby to stop crying so he put the baby in the freezer."
The baby sustained a broken arm, a broken leg, and blisters on her feet and a head injury.