A Snapchat video appears to show a father pouring hot sauce down his son's pants during potty training. (Facebook)
A Snapchat video that appears to show a father trying to potty train his child by pouring hot sauce down his pants has sparked a police investigation.
The video, posted on Facebook and viewed more than 13,000 times, shows a man holding a young child while pouring hot sauce down his pants and then on his face while the child cries.
It has the caption: “potty training 101.”
WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT
Shana Honeycutt, of Edmond, Okla., posted a sped-up version of the Snapchat video on Facebook after seeing it in a private group and being horrified.
“It needed to be public,” she told News9. “It didn’t need to be left in a private Facebook group where no one did or said anything about it.”
She added: “It’s abuse. You don’t potty train by pouring hot sauce down a baby’s pants and wiping it all over the face.”
It’s unclear how old the child is.
Police in Choctaw, where the original video was taken, said they’re investigating the case with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.
While the child appears distraught in the video, the child’s mother – who posted the original video to the private Facebook group – told News9 the slower version shows none of the sauce actually made contact with her son.
“You can see that nothing went down his pants, and nothing was in his mouth,” the mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.
She said her son was laughing after the video was taken.
“The video was played out to something it wasn’t. My son, I would never put him in harm’s way,” the mother said.
Choctaw police, along with DHS members, visited the child’s home on Wednesday. They said the investigation is ongoing, but found the child appears to be in a safe home.
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