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Jul 03, 2023

Dad accused of killing baby with wet wipe shoved down throat

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission. A Florida father has been arrested in the choking death of his 2-month-old daughter after investigators concluded that he allegedly stuffed a

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

A Florida father has been arrested in the choking death of his 2-month-old daughter after investigators concluded that he allegedly stuffed a wet wipe deep down the baby girl’s throat to muffle her crying — and then tried to blame it on her toddler sister.

Joseph Napier, 30, of Vero Beach, Florida, was charged Friday with aggravated manslaughter of a child more than two years after the death of his daughter, Iris Noelle Napier.

Officials said that Napier was the only person present in the house who could have shoved the napkin so far down the youngster’s throat, minutes after he was allegedly overheard by a relative yelling at the baby, “Why can’t you shut the f— up?!”

On May 28, 2021, deputies with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office rushed to Napier’s home in the 1500 block of 6th Avenue for a report of an unresponsive baby.

First responders attempted CPR on the 2-month-old girl, who was “turning blue,” before taking her into an ambulance and transporting her to a hospital, according to a press release from the sheriff’s agency. Despite all the life-saving efforts, the baby died.

During the preliminary investigation, Napier told deputies his daughter choked and “he could only see a small white object in the back of her mouth.”

The dad then claimed that he left Iris unattended on a couch with his 18-month-old daughter for about 10 minutes.

“We know that he was in the other room neglecting these children way longer than that,” Sheriff Eric Flowers told reporters during a press conference announcing Napier’s arrest aired by the station WPTV.

When he returned to the room, Napier discovered his baby choking and in distress — but investigators said that he still waited 5 minutes before calling 911.

During an exam of the baby, a wet wipe was removed from deep within the child’s throat.

Officials said that is what caused the fatal airway obstruction.

The sheriff’s office has concluded that the only person present at the time who could have placed the wipe that deep in the baby’s throat was Napier — contrary to his claims that his 18-month-old daughter was to blame.

“We’ve proven that that’s not possible,” Flowers said. “[Napier] put that wipe in that child’s mouth. He pushed it down far enough that this child choked. It took doctors going deep into this child’s throat with forceps [to get it out].”

Flowers said he believed Napier was tired of hearing his colicky daughter’s incessant crying.

Iris’ grandfather, Joe Miller, who attended Friday’s news conference, agreed with the sheriff’s opinion.

Miller said that he left the infant with her father to go to work minutes before she died and heard Napier raging at his granddaughter.

“As I was getting dressed, Joe was screaming at the top of his lungs at the baby, ‘Why can’t you shut the f—up?!'” Miller said. “That was the last thing I heard.”

It was not known where Iris’ mother was at the time. Her surviving daughter, now aged 4, is currently living with other family members.

Flowers said he would have liked to charge Napier with a homicide, but there was not enough evidence to show that he intended to kill his daughter.

Napier is being held at the Indian River County Jail on a $750,000 bond.