Derick Boyce-Slezak and Mikala Boyce-Slezak of Park Hills, Missouri, face child abuse charges for allegedly putting their infant son in a microwave. (St. Francois County Sheriff)
A man and woman in Missouri are facing child abuse charges after they allegedly put their infant son in a microwave and dropped him -- all while trying to imitate a TV commercial.
Derick Boyce-Slezak and Mikala Boyce-Slezak of Park Hills, Missouri were charged Tuesday with felony abuse or neglect of a child and are jailed on $500,000 bond.
The injuries were discovered when the baby, who was younger than 4 months at the time, was taken to a St. Louis hospital for a rash. Doctors at the Cardinal-Glennon Hospital Emergency Room found second-degree facial burns and head injuries.
The couple claimed a cleaning agent caused the burns, according to court documents obtained by the St. Louis-Dispatch.
During a Monday hearing, a state social worker claimed Mikala had blamed her infant son’s head wounds on Derick who dropped the baby while trying to imitate a commercial he saw on television. It's not clear which commercial it was.
The state social worker also said Mikala believed Derick placed the infant in a microwave and briefly turned it on, court documents said.
Mikala pleaded the fifth at the hearing and Derick didn't testify.
The couple also has a daughter but waived custody shortly after she was born in 2016, the St. Louis-Dispatch added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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