Mikala and Derick Boyce-Slezak were charged with felony abuse and neglect of a child. They allegedly put their 4-month-old toddler in a microwave and turned it on. Doctors found the child suffered second-degree facial burns and also had fractured skull. [Courtesy of St. Francois County Attorney's Office ]
A shocking news of parents from Missouri went viral on social media. A couple from Park Hills, Derick Boyce-Slezak and Mikala Boyce-Slezak, were charged with one count of felony abuse or neglect of a child each on Tuesday.
When the couple's 4-month-old son was submitted to a St. Louis hospital for a rash in April, doctors discovered that the toddler suffered second-degree facial burns, fractured skull and a subdural hematoma.
Mikala initially told a state social worker that her husband dropped their son while reenacting a TV commercial. The couple initially told doctors that the toddler's facial injury was caused by a chemical cleaner.
However, when Mikala was questioned by the social worker, she said Derik Boyce-Slezak briefly placed their son in a microwave and turned it on, according to the court report.
The local authorities were notified when the doctors found the injuries. However, it took them seven months to formally file charges against the couple.
The couple is held in St. Francois County jail on $500,000 bond.
Kwak, Min Jung = abiel@ajunews.com
