A Florida father was recently arrested for allegedly causing his 2-month-old daughter to choke to death on a baby wipe, police say.
Vero Beach resident Joseph Napier was recently charged with manslaughter over the 2021 death of his infant. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office had received a call from Napier about an unresponsive infant on May 28, 2021.
When deputies arrived, they found that the baby was "turning blue" and unresponsive. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, she passed away.
Napier told police that he only left the infant unattended for 10 minutes before she started choking on an object.
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"Mr. Napier told deputies the infant choked and he could only see a small white object in the back of her mouth," Indian River County Sheriff’s Office explained in a Facebook post. "He then gave a timeline of events and claimed he left the child unattended, on a couch, with his 18-month-old daughter for approximately 10 minutes."
The suspect also said that he saw the infant choking and waited five minutes before calling 911. Police later determined that Napier spent around half an hour on his cell phone, making his recollection of events inaccurate.
Authorities also discovered that the child had choked on a baby wipe, which was lodged deep in her throat. They determined that it could have only been put there by Napier.
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"Based on all of the evidence gathered, and in consultation with medical physicians, it was determined that the only person present at the time of the incident that could have placed the wipe that deep in the child’s throat was Joseph Napier," the sheriff's office explained.
Napier was booked into Indian River County Jail on a $750,000 bond. Authorities said that they hoped the arrest would bring some closure.
"While this investigation involved the tragic loss of life, we are hoping that this arrest can give some closure to the friends and family," the sheriff's office added.
