Inset: Oliver Young (Huntington County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Indiana hospital where Young’s son died (Google Maps).
In a tragic case from Indiana, a 24-year-old father is facing serious charges after allegedly inflicting fatal abuse on his newborn son. The father reportedly shouted at the infant to “shut the f— up” before going online to find methods for beating a lie-detector test and preparing for a lengthy prison sentence.
Authorities arrested Oliver Clayton Lee Young last week. He faces charges including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, aggravated battery of a person under 14, and domestic battery that caused serious bodily harm, according to court records.
The investigation into Young began on October 17, 2025, after a family case manager alerted the Huntington City Police. The report concerned a baby admitted to Parkview Huntington Hospital with injuries considered suspicious and non-accidental, as reported by Fort Wayne’s ABC and NBC affiliate, WPTA.
A pediatrician had observed a peculiar bruise on the infant’s back during a routine checkup and advised Young and the baby’s mother to seek emergency medical care. The mother suggested the bruise might have resulted from her son rolling over onto his pacifier. However, the doctor found this explanation improbable since the child was only a few weeks old. Additionally, the infant showed signs of a blood spot in his eye.
Subsequent medical tests indicated the child possibly suffered a brain bleed. Consequently, he was moved to Riley Children’s Hospital, where he was reportedly in critical condition.
While at Riley, the suspicious mark on the infant’s back began to fade. Doctors then identified it as a “Mongolian mark,” which is a common birthmark that usually disappears within a few years, according to Fort Wayne’s CBS affiliate, WANE.
Just over a week later, on Oct. 29, 2025, the victim’s mother called 911 after finding her son unresponsive. Medics rushed the infant to the hospital where doctors reportedly said he had suffered severe head trauma, internal bleeding, and exhibited “virtually no brain activity,” according to WPTA.
The boy was airlifted to Riley Children’s Hospital for the second time that month. Doctors found that the baby had suffered a fractured femur that was already healing and several fractured ribs due to non-accidental trauma. The medical staff concluded that the child’s injuries were likely caused by violent shaking or forceful squeezing.
A subsequent autopsy conducted by the Marion County Coroner’s Office reportedly determined that the baby’s manner of death was a homicide and the cause of death was craniocerebral trauma.
A female witness who was in the home when the baby’s mother called 911 told police that earlier that morning, she heard Young yell at the baby to “shut the f— up,” WANE reported. The witness added that she saw Young take the crying child into the bathroom several times, reportedly saying she could hear muffled cries coming from inside.
Police performing a forensic search of Young’s phone said that on the morning of Oct. 29, he was reading a Quora article titled: “I’m a 22 year old man who’s going to prison for 50 years. It will also be my first visit. What advice do people have for me?”
Two days later, he reportedly viewed an article titled: “How to Cheat a Polygraph Test (Lie Detector): 9 Hacks & Prep Tips.”
Young’s earlier search history had been manually deleted, per WANE.
Young is currently being held in the Huntington County Jail on $150,000 bond, jail records show. He is currently scheduled to appear in court again for a pretrial conference on April 6.
