A couple in Missouri, Derick Boyce-Slezak, and Mikala Boyce-Slezak are currently in the process of facing child abuse charges for allegedly putting their four-month-old son into a microwave in April earlier this year. Fortunately, the infant survived but, as of now, the two suspects are in jail with a sizable $500,000 in bail each. The couple was charged with child neglect last Tuesday, Nov. 28.
During the hearing last Monday, Nov. 27 at the St. Francois County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Mikala addressed the injury found on the baby's face. This turned out to be a second degree burn to which Mikala stated that she attempted to clean with a towel containing some bleach. Mikala did most of the testifying and refused to address the other injuries of her infant son by pleading the Fifth Amendment.
The Children's Division of the Missouri Department of Social Services stated that during the hearing involving Mikala's previous statements, she had claimed that most of the baby's injuries were caused by her husband Derick. In Mikala's story, Derick had seen a particular television commercial and attempted to copy it by putting the baby in microwave for an unspecified amount of time. Derick reportedly also dropped the infant, which caused the baby to sustain a number of head injuries. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the infant suffered subdural hematoma, a brain injury caused by a fracture in the skull.
Derick was reported to have not testified during the hearing. According to Fox News, during the hearing, the court also took note of the fact that the couple previously had a daughter. However, the two decided to waive custody of their daughter in January of 2016. This means that the couple already has a history of neglecting a child by choosing not to raise their daughter altogether.
