Dayne Paulson, a 23-year-old from Wisconsin, faces charges of repeated physical abuse of a child causing great bodily harm after allegedly inflicting severe injuries on his 27-day-old son. The infant suffered multiple skull fractures, broken bones, and other wounds that required intensive care. Paulson admitted to squeezing and striking the baby, crushing a Kleenex box in a demonstration for police.
Police responded to Marshfield Hospital on April 25 after a woman brought her 27-day-old newborn son for treatment of a cut above his eye, a bruised eye, and a septal injury. Further examination revealed three skull fractures, fractures to the collarbone, leg, nose, and a rib. The baby was transferred to a pediatric intensive care unit for care, where a doctor noted he had a good chance of recovery, though permanent damage remained uncertain due to his age, according to local reports from WQOW and GazetteXtra. Dayne Paulson, 23, told investigators the infant was 'being dramatic and not liking his diaper changed.' He admitted to social workers on April 27 that he punched the baby in the eye, head-butted him repeatedly, and squeezed him so hard it hurt his own ribs. When asked to demonstrate on a Kleenex box, Paulson crushed it. Paulson made his initial court appearance on May 1, when his bond increased from $50,000 cash to $200,000. He remains in custody at Chippewa County Jail in Chippewa Falls. He was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday and is set to return on May 26.