A mother and father from the Ozarks region in Missouri were charged with felony child abuse after allegedly performing a circumcision on their son at home, claiming they had conducted “research” and recited a “blessing” before slicing the child with a sanitized blade.
University Hospital in Columbia reported the incident to the Department of Social Services on Nov. 28, after the parents showed up with the disfigured boy following the improvised surgery that left him bleeding profusely.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Morgan County Circuit Court, 35-year-old Tyler Wade Gibson and 32-year-old Bailey Alexus Gibson brought the boy to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach. From there, he was transferred to University Hospital for further care, but during the intake, the couple defied the advice of doctors and fled the facility with the injured child.
There was no update on the boy’s condition or whether the crude procedure had left him permanently maimed. Authorities also withheld the boy’s name and age, with court papers describing him only as “a child less than eighteen years old.”
The parents each face one count of felony child abuse, which carries a term of up to seven years in prison plus a $10,000 fine if convicted. They also face one felony count of unauthorized practice of medicine, which is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The same day of the incident, deputies arrived at the Gibson home to question the parents.
According to the criminal affidavit, Tyler Gibson allegedly admitted to cutting the child, then acknowledged that he had no medical training and stated that he carried out the procedure after conducting “research” and reciting a “blessing.”
He was immediately placed under arrest.
At the station, the father was read his Miranda rights, after which he told officers he used a sanitized blade to cut his son. He also revealed that during the makeshift procedure, he had a supply of gauze pads standing by to soak up any blood, however, he “wasn’t prepared for the amount of bleeding,” the affidavit said.
Becoming frightened at the level of blood loss, the parents rushed the boy to the hospital.
During the interview, Tyler Gibson allegedly told investigators he had left the blade used for the procedure in his bedroom, but a search of the home did not uncover it. Officers did, however, find an empty box of medical gauze, according to the affidavit.
Bailey Gibson admitted to authorities that while she was “very hesitant” about her husband performing the procedure, she assisted him in carrying it out.
She declined to explain why she went through with it despite her reservations.
Court papers indicate Bailey Gibson was not arrested because she had several children in her care at the time, including a breastfeeding baby.
The mother later claimed she and her husband left the hospital after waiting for four hours, and she has since hired her own lawyer. On Nov. 29, the day after the incident, social services visited the residence and took custody of five children.
The Gibsons were taken to the Morgan County Jail, where they have since been released on bond. Their next court appearance is set for Jan. 28. Bailey Gibson’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment, while Tyler Gibson was not listed as having a lawyer.
