Man who police say stuffed wipe into infant’s mouth to quiet her is arrested in baby’s death

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A Florida male was jailed in the 2021 choking death of his baby child after detectives concluded he put an infant clean in her mouth, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office stated Monday.

Joseph Napier, 30, was apprehended Friday on a murder charge, the constable’s workplace stated.

Napier is implicated of eliminating the baby “by pushing the child clean down her throat,” constable’s Det. Robert Sunkel stated at a press conference.

Napier called 911 on May 28, 2021, and stated his child was unresponsive and choking, authorities stated.

Deputies and EMS hurried to the scene and took the kid to a medical facility, however she later on passed away, the constable’s workplace stated.

Napier had actually declared that he left the 2-month-old and an 18- month-old alone for 10 minutes, Sheriff Eric Flowers stated.

” Our forensics group has actually figured out that his claims that the 18- month-old kid positioned a clean down the throat of this 2-month-old baby– we’ve shown that that’s not possible,” authorities stated.

Iris Noelle Napier's grave.
Iris Noelle Napier’s tomb. WPTV

Napier left both kids alone for 30 minutes, not 10, an assessment of his phone revealed, and Flowers stated he waited 5 minutes to call 911 about the choking event.

” He understood he was the reason for this. He was getting his story together,” Flowers stated, including, “He put that clean in kid’s mouth to shut him up.”

The baby had colic and was weeping, Flowers stated.

Flowers stated that if he might show Napier planned to eliminate the kid, the charge would be more severe.

” He understood, or ought to have understood, that would trigger damage to this kid,” Flowers stated, including, “His disregard of these kids definitely triggered the death in this case.”

Napier was being kept in lieu of $750,000 bond Monday, according to authorities and prison records.

Online court records did not appear to reveal a lawyer who might speak on his behalf. Arraignment was set up for Oct. 19.

Phil Helsel

Phil Helsel is a press reporter for NBC News.

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