Docs: Muncie dad caused brain bleed in infant daughter

MUNCIE, Ind. - A Muncie father has been arrested after his infant daughter was hospitalized with severe bleeding in her brain and spine.




Neil McCaffery, 26, was arrested and charged Wednesday after his 3-month-old daughter reportedly went limp and stopped breathing earlier this month. He has been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a level 3 felony.

Infant hospitalized

Muncie police crews were initially called around 6 p.m. on May 8 to a local home for an unresponsive infant.




Upon arrival, the child's parents said she had a "gas bubble" stuck in her throat and that they had attempted to burp her before she "went limp."




EMS crews determined the child was having a seizure and the victim was soon flown by helicopter to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis.




There, she was diagnosed with "bilateral subdural hematoma" that was causing acute bleeding in her brain and layers of her eyes.




The victim soon underwent surgery to relieve the pressure that was building on her brain. Days later, the child went into cardiac arrest for approximately one minute. It was later discovered that the infant had bleeding on both sides of her brain, in her eyes and along her spinal cord.




While a ventilator was not being used the last time police were updated, the child was on a feeding tube. Doctors predicted that the child will experience developmental delays.




They also concluded that her injuries were consistent with being shaken or thrown to the ground.

Interview with McCaffery

On the day the victim was taken to Riley, officers met her father, Neil McCaffery, at the hospital for an interview.




McCaffery told police that he arrived home around 5:30 p.m. and had gone outside to do some yard work. Soon after, he heard his wife say that their child was being fussy from a "gas bubble" getting stuck while eating.




The father said he took the infant into his bedroom, placed her on his knee and slapped her back in an attempt to get her to burp. McCaffery said after this, he placed the child on the bed and "began to count money." He also said his wife in the room.




However, he quickly noticed that the child's face was turning blue and that her body had gone limp. McCaffery said that while his wife called 911, he put the victim in front of a nearby fan because she was hot.

Further investigation, arrest

Officers then spoke with McCaffery's wife, who corroborated his statement, aside from the fact that she said she was not in the room. When told that the child's injuries were consistent with trauma and shaking, she said she had never shaken her.




She said that McCaffery had come inside after hearing the victim "crying uncontrollably" and took the infant into the bedroom. She said McCaffery and the victim were in the room for about four minutes when the victim stopped crying. Soon after, McCaffery came out and said the baby wasn't breathing.




Given the evidence gathered by doctors and detectives, McCaffery was arrested on Wednesday and booked into the Delaware County Jail on one level 3 felony count. Jail documents show that he was released hours later after paying a $20,000 bond.




Online court records have not yet been updated to reflect an initial hearing in McCaffery's case. McCaffery does not have a serious criminal history in Indiana, only ever being charged with unlawful tobacco possession and minor traffic violations.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/docs-muncie-dad-caused-brain-bleed-in-infant-daughter/