Two parents have been accused of putting their tiny baby in a microwave oven causing him horrific burns.
Derick Boyce-Slezak and wife Mikala, both 22, were charged with felony abuse or neglect of a child by police in Missouri, USA, on Tuesday.
The couple were arrested after taking the little boy, who is younger than four months old, to the hospital with a rash on his face.
Doctors discovered the ‘rash’ was actually a second-degree burn and further tests revealed the child had a skull fracture and a brain injury.
Court documents, seen by The St Louis Post Dispatch, accuse the Boyce-Slezaks of dropping their baby while trying to imitate a TV commercial and zapping him in a microwave.
The parents told doctors the burns were caused by cleaning chemicals.
During a court hearing on Monday, Mikala invoked her right against self-incrimination when asked about the baby’s injuries, the documents say. Derick did not testify.
A representative from the Missouri Department of Social Services said Mikala Boyce-Slezak had earlier stated she intended to testify the head wounds were a result of Derick dropping the infant while trying to imitate what he saw on an advert, Mirror revealed.
Mikala also claimed that she believed Derick had placed the infant in a microwave and turned it on for a “short period of time”.
Because of the horrific nature of the allegations, both are being held in custody at St Francois County Jail on $500,000 (£370,000) bail each.
Other court records indicate that the couple are of the parents of a girl, who they waived custody of shortly after she was born in January 2016.
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