Inset: Neil McCaffery (Delaware County Jail). Background: The area in Muncie, Indiana where McCaffery allegedly abused his infant daughter (Google Maps).
In Indiana, a 26-year-old father faces arrest following allegations of nearly beating his infant daughter to death due to her “crying uncontrollably.” Neil A. McCaffery was taken into custody on Wednesday, charged with one count of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, as indicated by records reviewed by Law&Crime.
On May 8, 2025, around 6 p.m., officers from the Muncie, Indiana, Police Department responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive infant at a residence on South Pershing Drive, situated approximately 55 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they made contact with the child’s parents, who claimed that the infant was suffering from a “gas bubble” that was stuck in her throat, Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN reported. The duo said that when they attempted to burp the child, she “went limp” and became “unresponsive.”
Emergency medical personnel on the scene believed the victim was suffering from a seizure and was transported via helicopter to the Indianapolis-based Riley Children’s Hospital for treatment. Doctors reportedly determined that the infant was suffering from a bilateral subdural hematoma, meaning there was blood in the subdural space of both hemispheres in her brain.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Several days after doctors performed emergency surgery to relieve pressure on the baby’s brain, she went into cardiac arrest and later had to be placed on a feeding tube. Doctors reportedly said a portion of her brain “stopped receiving oxygen and started to die,” predicting that she will likely have developmental delays.
While at the hospital, investigators interviewed McCaffery and the child’s mother, whose name was not included in the report. During the interview, McCaffery allegedly said that after getting home from work, his wife told him that their daughter had “a gas bubble stuck from eating,” so he took the baby to his bedroom and slapped her on the back several times in an effort to make her burp, according to the Indianapolis Star Press.
McCaffery reportedly said the girl burped, which is when he placed her on his bed and “began to count money,” per WXIN. But a short while later, the father said he noticed that the victim was “turning blue,” and his wife called 911.
Doctors reportedly told investigators that the child’s head injuries were consistent with trauma, likely from “being shaken or thrown to the ground.
McCaffery’s wife reportedly told police that when McCaffery brought their daughter into the bedroom, she had been “crying uncontrollably.” However, after about four minutes in the room, the infant “suddenly stopped crying,” police wrote, per the Star Press.
McCaffery was booked into the Delaware County Jail and released after posting $20,000 bond. An initial hearing has not yet been scheduled in the case.
