Joseph Napier.Photo:Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
According to astatement from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Officeon Sunday, detectives arrested Joseph Napier of Vero Beach, Fla.
According to theonline jail records, he was arrested on Thursday.
Napier, a cook, reportedly called 911 in May 2021 to report an “unresponsive” two-month old, the statement said. Once deputies arrived at the scene, they saw that the child was “turning blue” and immediately transported her to an ambulance, but the child died.
Napier initially told detectives that he had left the infant with his 18-month-old daughter for about 10 minutes and when he returned to the room, he realized the two-month old was choking, the statement said.
He also reportedly said that he saw “a small white object” lodged deep in the infant’s mouth, and waited about five minutes before calling 911. Officers say they determined this was false information, and that he allegedly spent 30-minutes on his phone during the time window.
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On Thursday, more than two years after the child’s death, officers arrested and charged Napier with manslaughter. He is being held on a bond of $750,000 according to jail records.
It’s unclear why the investigation took two years; PEOPLE has reached out to the sheriff’s department for further clarity.
Napier, who boasts two tattoos titled “corrupt” on his left arm, has a lengthy history of arrests going back more than 10 years,according to jail records.
His arraignment has been set for October 13, the Courthouse told PEOPLE.
source: people.com
