A Missouri father was accused of assaulting his four-month-old daughter after allegedly saying he was trying to “toughen” her up, according to court documents.
Noah Humphus, 23, regularly cared for the infant while the child’s mother was at work, according to police.
On September 2, 2026, at 1:44 p.m., officers responded to MU Health Care Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Missouri, police said.
The four-month-old girl had been brought into the emergency room with multiple injuries, according to court documents.
Doctors determined the infant’s injuries were consistent with child abuse, according to investigators. She was transferred to University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, for additional treatment, police said.
The baby suffered bruising to her temple and torso, multiple fractured ribs, and a fractured left femur, according to court documents.
The infant also suffered a possible fracture to her left tibia, according to court records.
Some of the rib fractures appeared older than the other injuries, according to investigators. That difference indicated the child’s injuries may have occurred at different times, police said.
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The infant’s mother told investigators she had seen Humphus shake the baby when the child was hungry or crying, court documents state.
She had previously told the father to stop, according to the complaint.
Humphus told the mother that being rough with children was normal and allegedly said he was trying to “toughen” the baby up, according to court documents.
The accused father allegedly admitted he had shaken the four-month-old child at least 10 times, according to investigators.
Investigators gave Humphus a doll during the interview and asked him to demonstrate how he handled the baby, police said.
Humphus demonstrated pulling on the baby’s legs while she was lying on her back, according to court documents. He indicated that he may have caused one of her leg injuries while doing so, the affidavit states.
The defendant then allegedly demonstrated swinging the infant upside down by her legs, according to court documents.
Humphus was arrested and charged with first-degree domestic assault involving serious physical injury and abuse of a child involving serious emotional or physical injury, police said.
He was being held in the Cole County Jail without bond, according to records.
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