Arizona man bent one-month-old daughter backward until he heard a 'popping sound' to stop her from crying
PHOENIX, ARIZONA: An Arizona father has been arrested and charged after police said he bent his infant daughter backward, causing multiple serious injuries.
On March 6, police were called to Phoenix Children's Hospital after receiving a report from hospital staff about a one-month-old girl bleeding from the mouth, reports AZ Family.
22-year-old Adan Flores, the infant's father, initially claimed that he and another family member injured his daughter by accidentally sitting on her. However, that story did not line up with the fact that she had multiple recent and healing fractured ribs, a damaged liver, fractured legs, redness and bleeding inside her mouth, and hemorrhaging of the eyes.
Upon further questioning, Flores eventually admitted to harming the girl. He told detectives he placed her daughter on a bed, put her on her knees, and bent her backward. He also said he did this the day before she was taken to the hospital, and that he heard a popping sound. He claimed he did this in a bid to "get his daughter to be quiet."
Furthermore, Flores said he had twisted the girl's legs while doing exercises until he heard a "pop" and "admitted to aggressively inserting a thermometer into the victim's mouth."
He reportedly told officers he was afraid to take the young girl to the hospital because the Department of Child Safety and her mother would be notified about the abuse. He said the abuse had occurred while the mother was in the shower, and that he was afraid she would leave him if she found out about it.
Flores expressed regret for his actions and said he felt guilty for what happened to his daughter and was arrested at the hospital. He is facing six counts of child abuse in connection to the incidents and is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.
If you suspect a child is being abused, you can call the Arizona Child Abuse Hotline at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445. You can also get more information about reporting abuse or neglect online from the DCS here.