Affidavit: Man told police he fed octopus to toddler

The man facing a child endangerment charge in the case of a 2-year-old Wichita boy – who became unresponsive after a small octopus lodged in his throat – admitted during a law enforcement interview that he fed the octopus to the toddler, according to an arrest affidavit released Thursday by Sedgwick County District Court.

Matthew J. Gallagher also said during the interview with a Wichita police detective that he didn’t tell any of the first responders who went to the 4900 block of East Waterman on April 5 that the boy had been fed the octopus at dinner.

The child — referred to in the court document by the initials C.F. — was hospitalized in serious condition after his mother, who is Gallagher’s girlfriend, called 911 to say that her son was having trouble breathing.

The boy vomited after he was taken to Wesley Medical Center, according to the affidavit; when staff suctioned the fluid, a 2 1/2-inch-long octopus also was drawn out of the boy’s esophagus.

Police have said the animal was dead and was likely intended to be used as sushi.

Prosecutors allege Gallagher, 36, “unlawfully and recklessly” caused or allowed the boy “to be placed in a situation in which the child’s life, body or health” was at risk. He is facing a July 28 preliminary hearing on one count of aggravated endangering a child, which is a felony.

He has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea in the case.

According to the interview cited in the affidavit:

Gallagher told the police detective he was caring for the boy while his girlfriend worked. Initially, Gallagher told the detective he fed the boy chicken for dinner between 7 and 7:45 p.m. and that the boy had also eaten beef jerky that day but that he had not given the boy octopus and did not know how he ingested it.

He told the detective that he himself had eaten sushi and several small octopuses.

Gallagher told the detective he bathed the boy after dinner and put him to bed. Later he heard the boy gurgling, saw that his “lip was turning blue and he was having difficulty breathing.”

Gallagher performed CPR on the child “the best he could” until his girlfriend returned home.

But later during the interview with the detective, Gallagher admitted he fed the octopus to the child and didn’t tell fire officials or paramedics because he was scared. He also denied telling the boy’s mother not to call 911.

The mother, meanwhile, told the detective that when she returned home from work on April 5 and found Gallagher performing CPR on her son, Gallagher told her not to contact authorities.

But she called 911 for help at 9:36 p.m.

Gallagher initially was arrested on suspicion of child abuse in the case. The boy survived.

This story was originally published July 7, 2016 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Affidavit: Man told police he fed octopus to toddler."