A Missouri man is accused of violently shoving his fingers down his 6-week-old son’s throat to stop his crying.
19-year-old Robert James Burnette has been charged with abuse or neglect of a child, causing serious emotional or physical injury after the horrific attack that left his infant son fighting for his life.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, on both October 18 and November 7, Burnette assaulted his infant son in a desperate attempt to get him to stop crying.
Authorities say Burnette stuck his fingers all the way down his son’s throat in hopes of finding his “voice box.”
According to a Wentzville Police Detective Sean Rosner, Burnette also violently shook the baby and threw him down onto a bed.
The baby’s mother, Megan L. Hendricks, reportedly witnessed the disturbing abuse at least three times, but she never called for help.
Because she did nothing to save her child, Hendricks is now reportedly facing the same charges as Burnette.
Dr. Linda Shaw told detectives that there’s a high possibility that the baby will die, and if he does survive, he will likely be left with serious physical and mental damage.
While speaking with police, Hendricks admitted that she knew Burnette had a dangerous history of violence.
Although she had been to her parents’ house several times, Hendricks never told them anything because she feared that her father might hurt Burnette.
