Michael And Melissa Shales Sentenced For Torturing Twins: One Baby’s Throat Was Cut With Pliers
Michael and Melissa Shales have been sentenced. The Pennsylvania couple tortured their twins in what the presiding judge says includes the most horrific examples of child abuse he has ever seen. The Tullytown twins were taken from the defendants when they were two months old. They are now 17-months-old, and both require intense medical care and physical therapy, including one that needs a feeding tube.
According to Bucks Local News, both parents participated in abusing and torturing the babies, although Michael Shales, 31, has a different story from his 26-year-old wife. Melissa inflicted several broken bones in both children by the time they were two months old. Both girls are just learning to walk and need physical therapy. At one point, Michael left the house to get $120 worth of heroin. When he returned, his wife was so angry that she threw one of the babies and she landed against the rails of a day bed. Without even checking on her daughter, Melissa stormed out.
Afterward, the father injected himself with heroin and then wiped one of the baby’s mouths with a piece of gauze. It ended up getting lodged in the girl’s throat, and he couldn’t get it out with his fingers. That is when he got a pair of pliers to try to get the gauze out, which resulted in the child’s back of the throat and esophagus being punctured. Nobody reached out for help with the baby’s injuries until after 10 p.m. The incident happened first thing that morning. She required a breathing tube as well as a feeding tube.
When treating the baby, she was also discovered to have a fractured femur, rib, and tibia. The infant had neck injuries that indicate she was the victim of shaken-baby syndrome. There were also cuts and bruises to her vagina. Michael and Melissa Shales confessed that they would leave the children in soiled diapers for hours.
ICYMI: Melissa and Michael Shales, #Tullytown parents of twin girls, have admitted to abuse, neglect of the infants: https://t.co/GMkPstzBpI pic.twitter.com/8F54ZMapNe
— Bucks County Courier Times (@CourierTimes) May 23, 2017
Approximately one week before police investigated the couple, Melissa says she was giving one of her daughters a bath. She grabbed her leg and heard a “pop.” She tried to “pop” the leg back into place, which only made the injury worse. The couple never got medical treatment and by the time authorities arrived, the 2-month-old’s leg was swollen so much that it resembled the leg of a one-year-old.
Both twins were malnourished and had only gained two pounds since birth. The home of the Tullytown twins was filthy with dirty diapers and trash strewn everywhere, according to Crime Online. The home was also filled with dirty dishes, unwashed clothes, and there were also sharp tools and bullets on the floor.
#Tullytown PD have released mugs of Michael and Melissa Shales, who are accused of abusing their twin infant girls pic.twitter.com/PVerdL6tvE
— Jo Ciavaglia (@JoCiavaglia) May 16, 2016
On June 16, Michael and Melissa Shales were sentenced to serve 10 to 21 years in prison. The charges include aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of children.
[Featured Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
