TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. – A Florida father has been charged with attempted murder after police say he jammed a balled-up baby wipe down his infant son’s throat, according to WFTS.
Michael Hurley, 32, was alone with the baby Tuesday night when the child’s mother came home from work to find the 5-month-old choking, Tarpon Springs police said.
The boy’s mother picked him up and began screaming for help. A neighbor ran over and the two women managed to pull a blood-soaked baby wipe from the infant’s throat, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
The 5-month-old is currently in critical condition at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, according to the paper, and is breathing with the help of a ventilator.
When asked how the baby wipe ended up blocking the child’s airway, Hurley told police he was wiping around the boy’s mouth but he “cannot remember” and “does not know what happened,” according to WFTS.
Police said the wipe was completely saturated with blood and appeared to have been wadded into a tight ball.
Hurley is being held at Pinellas County Jail on $500,000 bail.
