Dad Caught On Baby Monitor Shaking, Throwing 2-Month-Old Infant Causing Leg Fractures

KEY POINTS

A 27-year-old Florida man was allegedly caught shaking and throwing his 2-month-old baby
The infant suffered bucket handle fractures, consistent with what would happen when shaking a child
The father was charged with aggravated assault and cruelty toward a child, among others

A registered sex offender in Lee County, Florida, was arrested over the weekend after he was allegedly caught on a baby monitor shaking his 2-month-old child, documents showed.

Austin Meyers, 27, allegedly picked up the crying infant, shook them and threw them on the couch Sunday, NewsChannel 8 reported, citing a probable cause statement. The Cape Coral father then proceeded to yell, "I'm not listening to you f-----g cry anymore!" at the child, the statement said.

According to the document, the baby's other parent had been checking the monitor at around 10:15 a.m. when they caught Meyers in the act.

The other parent — whose identity and gender were redacted from the report — did not want to call the police to avoid Meyers going to jail, but an unnamed person had reported the incident to authorities, according to the statement.

Officers from the Cape Coral Police Department arrived at the couple's home and found the infant motionless but breathing, according to the NewsChannel 8 report. Responding EMS personnel determined that there were no external signs of injury and that the baby seemed fine.

A later scan, however, revealed that the child had suffered bucket handle fractures in their right leg, which is an injury consistent with what would happen when shaking a baby.

The baby was taken to a hospital, and the Florida Department of Children and Families has put a hold on them, placing the child under the care of the hospital until further notice, a report by WINK News said.

Meyers, a registered sex offender who was under supervision on in-home detention with an ankle monitor until December 2025, was booked into the Lee County Jail following the incident, NBC2 reported. He had denied ever shaking the child, telling police, "I would never hurt my baby."

According to the probable cause statement, the two parents were allegedly in an abusive relationship and that Meyers had beaten his partner during their pregnancy.

Meyers faces charges for aggravated assault and cruelty toward a child, with bond set at $55,000 for the two charges combined. Meyers also faces a charge through the Lee County Sheriff's Office for probation violation without a set bond.