Man ‘prayed a blessing,’ then circumcised boy at home with utility tool, officials say
Two people are charged with child abuse after officials say they performed a circumcision on a boy at a Missouri home.
On Nov. 28, a Department of Family Services employee called 911 to report that a child had been circumcised at home, according to a criminal complaint.
A Morgan County Sheriff’s deputy went to the home and spoke with a man there. The man told the deputy that he performed the circumcision on the boy, court records said.
The man said he used a utility tool to perform the procedure, the complaint said. When asked if he was medically trained, the man said he wasn’t but that he “conducted research and prayed a blessing,” the court document said.
The man said he used pads for the blood but didn’t prepare for how much bleeding occurred, according to the complaint.
The procedure didn’t go as planned, and the boy was taken to a hospital, according to the court document.
However, the man and woman left the hospital against the advice of medical staff, the complaint said. When asked about leaving, the two said they were there for hours and “grew tired of waiting.”
The woman told the deputy she was unsure and hesitant about the procedure, but that she helped, court records said.
Five children were removed from the home, according to officials.
McClatchy News is not naming the man and woman to protect the identity of the children involved.
The woman and man are charged with abuse or neglect of a child. Additionally, the man is charged with unauthorized practice of medicine or surgery, court records show.
Morgan County is about a 140-mile drive southeast of Kansas City.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 3:38 PM.
