Inset: Neil McCaffery (Delaware County Jail). Background: The area in Muncie, Indiana where McCaffery allegedly abused his infant daughter (Google Maps).
An Indiana father, 26, has been apprehended on allegations of severely assaulting his 3-month-old daughter, purportedly because she was “crying uncontrollably.” Neil A. McCaffery was apprehended on Wednesday and is facing a single charge of serious bodily injury resulting from neglect of a dependent, as indicated by records scrutinized by Law&Crime.
Police officers from the Muncie, Indiana, Police Department responded to a call placed to 911 about an unresponsive infant at a residence on South Pershing Drive at approximately 6 p.m. on May 8, 2025. The location is situated roughly 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.
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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.
