EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — A man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly placing his infant in a tub of extremely hot water, causing burns so severe that the baby's skin was falling off.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office said they were called to the University of Utah Hospital on a possible child abuse incident.
According to an arrest report, 41-year-old Matthew Nielsen Beck placed his 4-month-old son in scalding water, causing third-degree burns on about 40 percent of the child's body. Those with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services informed police that Beck waited about an hour after the child was burned to seek medical help.
Investigators said they interviewed Beck's wife, who said Beck was alone with the infant and three other children at their home in Eagle Mountain on Saturday.
Beck agreed to speak with investigators and told them he was filling a small tub used for bathing babies. He said he put the infant in the basin as it filled with water. He said the baby was crying when he put him in, but Beck claimed that was normal. But after about four or five minutes, he said, he realized the water was too hot. He took the baby out and began to dry him off, and that's when he noticed the baby's skin was falling off.
Beck said he tried to soothe the baby's burns with cold water, cold, wet towels, and petroleum jelly. He continued to try for about an hour, during which he said the baby's skin was continuing to fall off. Authorities pointed out that he waited at least an hour before taking the infant to an urgent care facility. His wife is a nurse, but he did not call her.
Beck and his wife both confirmed that they had recently turned their water heater up, so he knew the water coming from the faucet would be significantly hotter. He told police he forgot to check the temperature when he placed the baby in the water, then got distracted by another one of his children.
Beck also admitted to police that he had used cold water as a form of punishment for one of his other small children.
His wife also said it was not normal for their infant son to cry when being put into the bath.
Investigators said they searched the bathroom and found pieces of the baby's skin that had fallen off.
Beck was arrested for aggravated child abuse, a 3rd-degree felony. His bail was set at $5,000.
