‘Stuck from eating’: Dad blamed ‘gas bubble’ after baby was nearly beaten to death for ‘crying uncontrollably,’ police say

A 26-year-old begetter successful Indiana has been arrested aft being accused of astir beating his infant daughter to decease due to the fact that the 3-month-old was “crying uncontrollably.” Neil A. McCaffery was taken into custody connected Wednesday and charged with 1 number of felony neglect of a dependent resulting successful superior bodily injury, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

Officers with the Muncie, Indiana, Police Department astatine astir 6 p.m. connected May 8, 2025, responded to a 911 telephone regarding an unresponsive babe astatine a location connected South Pershing Drive, which is astir 55 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Upon arriving astatine the scene, archetypal responders said they made interaction with the child’s parents, who claimed that the babe was suffering from a “gas bubble” that was stuck successful her throat, Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN reported. The duo said that erstwhile they attempted to burp the child, she “went limp” and became “unresponsive.”

Emergency aesculapian unit connected the country believed the unfortunate was suffering from a seizure and was transported via chopper to the Indianapolis-based Riley Children’s Hospital for treatment. Doctors reportedly determined that the babe was suffering from a bilateral subdural hematoma, meaning determination was humor successful the subdural abstraction of some hemispheres successful her brain.

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Several days aft doctors performed exigency country to relieve unit connected the baby’s brain, she went into cardiac apprehension and aboriginal had to beryllium placed connected a feeding tube. Doctors reportedly said a information of her encephalon “stopped receiving oxygen and started to die,” predicting that she volition apt person developmental delays.

While astatine the hospital, investigators interviewed McCaffery and the child’s mother, whose sanction was not included successful the report. During the interview, McCaffery allegedly said that aft getting location from work, his woman told him that their girl had “a state bubble stuck from eating,” truthful helium took the babe to his chamber and slapped her connected the backmost respective times successful an effort to marque her burp, according to the Indianapolis Star Press.

McCaffery reportedly said the miss burped, which is erstwhile helium placed her connected his furniture and “began to number money,” per WXIN. But a abbreviated portion later, the begetter said helium noticed that the unfortunate was “turning blue,” and his woman called 911.

Doctors reportedly told investigators that the child’s caput injuries were accordant with trauma, apt from “being shaken oregon thrown to the ground.

McCaffery’s woman reportedly told constabulary that erstwhile McCaffery brought their girl into the bedroom, she had been “crying uncontrollably.” However, aft astir 4 minutes successful the room, the babe “suddenly stopped crying,” constabulary wrote, per the Star Press.

McCaffery was booked into the Delaware County Jail and released aft posting $20,000 bond. An archetypal proceeding has not yet been scheduled successful the case.