Father Allegedly Stuffs 4-Month-Old Baby Inside Clothes Dryer, Turns Appliance On

A New Hampshire man was arrested Sunday for allegedly stuffing his 4-month-old daughter inside a clothes dryer and turning it on, the Manchester police said Monday.

Michael Higgins, 34, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, reckless conduct and criminal threatening. Local police arrived Sunday at a home on Kimball Street after receiving calls of a domestic incident, and found a man and woman arguing. The officers did not find evidence of any physical altercations at the scene.

“However, the woman did divulge to officers during the previous week, on Sept. 8... Higgins had put their infant daughter into the clothes dryer and turned it on,” Manchester police said in a statement, according to CBS Local. “The mother was able to quickly intervene and the baby was removed from the dryer.”

"It's very disturbing," Heather Hamel of the Manchester Police Department said, according to WMUR. "I mean, this is a child that's just 4 months old and was put inside a dryer. It doesn't matter if it's just a few seconds. The point of the matter is this child is obviously at a young age and can get hurt very easily. This is very frightening for the child and traumatic for the mother who witnessed the entire thing, as well."

Investigators said in court documents that Higgins has a history of domestic violence. Authorities said an investigation is currently underway into the incident.

Recently in Kentucky, a couple was indicted after their 7-month-old baby died of severe brain injuries, rib fractures and multiple abrasions. The accused were identified as 22-year-old Cody Northern and 23-year-old Savannah Northern from Berea. Both the accused faced a capital murder charge and nine counts of first-degree criminal abuse. The couple was originally arrested on charges of manslaughter after their child died on Sept. 4. On the day of the incident, the couple told the police their child choked while drinking from a bottle. A medical examination indicated the child had severe injuries that were not related to choking. An autopsy determined that the child's death was caused by brain hemorrhages, spinal cord hemorrhage and multiple rib fractures.