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Young Parents Charged With Child Abuse For Dropping Their Infant Son And Putting Him In The Microwave And Turning It On

The baby's injuries were discovered during a hospital visit.

A young Missouri couple was charged with abusing their infant after a hospital visit for treatment of a rash revealed the baby suffered injuries indicative of mistreatment. 

Derick Boyce-Slezak and Mikala Boyce-Slezak, both 22, were charged on Tuesday in a St. Francois County circuit court with felony abuse or neglect of a child, reported the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In April, the Boyce-Slezaks took their infant — who was younger than 4-months-old at the time — to Cardinal-Glennon Hospital Emergency Room for a rash on his face. While at the hospital, medical staff determined the rash on the boy’s face was actually a second-degree burn, according to court documents.

Additional tests were administered, and they found the infant also suffered from a skull fracture and brain injury called a subdural hematoma.

At the hospital, Derick and Mikala Boyce-Slezak first claimed the burns were caused by a cleaning agent, the documents say.

However, at the court hearing on Monday, a representative of the Children's Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services testified that Mikala Boyce-Slezak earlier stated the head wounds were a result of Derick dropping the infant while trying to imitate what he saw on a television commercial.

The Children’s Division employee also stated that Mikala believed Derick had placed the infant in a microwave and turned it on for a “short period of time.”

It remains unknown which commercial was reportedly being imitated at the time of the abuse.

The couple also have a baby girl, whom they’ve waived custody of shortly after she was born in January 2016, according to court records. 

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