According to a press release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, a 41-year-old Eagle Mountain man was arrested after his five-month-old son suffered 3rd degree burns over 40% of his body and subsequently released. Utah County Sheriff’s Office detectives were contacted by a case worker with the Utah Division of Child and Family Services on November 12, 2023 about concerns involving a four-month-old child at the University of Utah Burn Center.

The child had serious burns, possibly 3rd degree burns, over 40% of his body and the burns were possibly caused by hot water. Detectives learned that the child, who was actually five months old, had been in the care of his father on November 11, 2023. While the child was in the care of his father, the child sustained burns over 40% of his body. Detectives claim the infant suffered the burns from hot water in a small bathtub.

41-year-old Matthew Nielsen Beck, of Eagle Mountain, was arrested and booked into jail on one count of aggravated child abuse on November 12. In an effort to keep Beck in jail, the detective wrote a thorough probable cause affidavit detailing what investigators had learned, including the amount of time the infant was believed to have been in scalding water, that the burns were so severe a large amount of the infant’s skin had sloughed off, and that Beck waited about an hour before seeking medical attention.

After Beck was jailed for a little over 14 hours, a Fourth District judge ordered his release on a $5,000 unsecured bond. According to Utah State Code, an unsecured bond means that the person can be released from jail without posting bond while promising to pay a financial condition if they fail to appear for any mandatory court appearance. Beck was released from jail on November 13 and has been ordered to have no contact of any kind with the victim or any child in the home.