Couple Charged with Child Abuse After Botched Home Circumcision Sent Child to the Hospital

A Missouri couple has been charged with child abuse after police claim they performed a circumcision on a child at their home despite not having the medical training to do so.

The Prosecuting Attorney of Morgan County in Missouri charged Tyler Wade Gibson with child abuse and performing an unauthorized surgery, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. Per local media outlets KRCG-TV and KMIZ-TV, Tyler’s wife Bailey Alexus Gibson has also been charged with child abuse,

The probable cause affidavit filed against Tyler in court claimed that on Nov. 27 he “knowingly performed a circumcision” in his home on a child under the age of 18, which caused the child to “suffer from physical injury.”

The complaint also noted that he “knowingly” performed the surgery despite not being a “registered physician” allowed to “practice medicine or surgery.” Both of his charges are felonies. 

According to the complaint, someone at Columbia University Hospital called an emergency hotline on Nov. 28 to report a child who “had undergone a circumcision” at a Morgan County home. 

The complaint added that the “procedure did not go as planned,” and the child was taken to Lake Regional Hospital on the evening of Nov. 27 and later transported to Columbia University Hospital for “treatment by a urologist and hospitalization.” Authorities noted Tyler “left the hospital against medical advice.”

After receiving the call, officers responded to Tyler’s home to speak to him about the incident. While there, Tyler allegedly admitted to performing a circumcision, per the probable cause affidavit, and he also allegedly denied having the medical training to perform one but told police that he had “conducted research and prayed a blessing” beforehand. 

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Per the complaint, he told police that he had “placed pads to catch the blood and sterilized the blade” he used for the circumcision. However, he also “mentioned” that “he wasn’t prepared for the amount of bleeding” from his child, which resulted in the couple taking the child to the hospital. Police also claimed that he told them they eventually left the hospital after four hours because “they grew tired of waiting.”

During the interview, Tyler told police he had used a “utility tool” and told them where to find the blade in the home. However, police were unable to locate it during a search, per the complaint.

According to KRCG-TV and KMIZ-TV, the child’s mom Bailey also allegedly admitted that she assisted with the procedure, per court documents.

Tyler appeared in court on Tuesday, Dec. 3, while Bailey is scheduled for an appearance on Jan. 28, per KMIZ-TV.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.