Couple Accused of Performing Botched At-Home Circumcision on Child: Sheriff

According to a probable cause affidavit, obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors in Morgan County, Missouri charged Tyler Wade Gibson with abuse of a child and unauthorized practice of medicine or surgery on November 28. His wife, Bailey Alexus Gibson, was also charged with child abuse, per local CBS outlet, KRCG.

In the court documents filed against Tyler, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department stated that it responded after receiving a phone call from a DFS employee, who said they “received an emergency hotline call from Columbia University Hospital concerning a child who had undergone a circumcision at home.”

According to the affidavit, the deputy said the DFS employee told him that the caller claimed that Tyler and a white female performed a circumcision on a male child. “The procedure did go as planned,” the document said, adding that the boy was first taken to Lake Regional Hospital on November 21, before he was later transported to University Hospital “for treatment by a urologist and hospitalization.”

However, on November 28, the Gibsons reportedly “left the hospital against medical advice.”

As noted in the docs, officers visited the Gibson residence and interviewed both Tyler and Bailey. Tyler admitted to performing the medical procedure, despite having no training, per the affidavit.

“I asked Tyler who performed the circumcision, and he stated that he did. Tyler explained that he used a utility tool to perform the procedure. I asked if he was medically trained, to which he replied no, but he had conducted research and prayed a blessing,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit.

Tyler allegedly said he “placed pads to catch the blood and sterilized the blade,” and “mentioned that he wasn’t prepared for the amount of bleeding,” prompting him and Bailey to take the child to the hospital.

The Gibsons claimed, per the document, that they “had been at the hospital for four hours but left because they grew tired of waiting.”

Bailey also allegedly confirmed that she had “assisted with the procedure,” but “expressed that she was very hesitant and unsure about performing the circumcision.”

The affidavit stated that Tyler was later arrested and interviewed again. During the interrogation, the deputy allegedly asked Tyler the location of the blade he used, to which he replied that “it was in his room on top of a frame.”

However, the deputy wrote that they were “unable to locate” the blade, but found “an empty medical gauze box on the bed.”

In the complaint, the Prosecuting Attorney of Morgan County charged Tyler, writing that he “knowingly performed a circumcision” on a “child less than eighteen years old,” causing the victim “to suffer from physical injury.”

According to Law&Crime, social services went to the Gibson residence on November 29, and removed five children. Both Tyler and Bailey were released from Morgan County Jail on bond, according to the outlet

Tyler was arraigned on December 3, while Bailey is set to appear in court on January 28, KRCG reported.

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.