What led to Joshua Salovich a Meridian, Mississippi father violently beating his daughter to death? Wanted to toughen her up for the ‘real world’.
Joshua Salovich a 25 year old Meridian, Mississippi man has been charged with capital murder after allegedly beating his three year old toddler daughter to death because she couldn’t answer math questions correctly.
Upon his arrest, the father was charged with capital murder, meaning Salovich could face the death penalty as he is now held without bail.
A report via the Meridian Star cited Meridian Police Chief Benny Dubose saying that the ‘boxer in training’ beat toddler Bailey Salovich at maximum force with a bamboo stick and cellphone cord as well as well as his hands.
Upon his arrest the father insisted the girl ‘had to be tough if she wanted to survive’.
While adding, ‘it was all her fault’.
Told Detective Kevin Boyd, ‘She apparently did not want to participate and get the correct numbers,’
Adding, ‘He said he would pop her with his hands on her butt and legs when she got a wrong answer… (he said he) backhanded her several times in the stomach because she kept getting it wrong.’
Upon being told he had killed his own child, Boyd said the father ‘got upset. What he stated was, ”I killed my child. I killed my child,’.
A report via wtok told of Salovich not being the child’s biological father. That said the child’s birth certificate listed him as the father.
Matters came to the fore Friday afternoon, when police were called to a local emergency room after Bailey had been brought in with bruises and cuts all over her body, and at least one head wound.
Questioning Salovich and the child’s mother separately, Dubose said Salovich said he was asking the toddler questions about numbers and would ‘pop‘ her when she answered incorrectly.
But it gets grimmer.
Salovich admitted to using the same method to discipline the child at least five times per week. Salovich told police he used a bamboo rod until it broke, then switched to a cellphone cord to administer some of the licks. Other blows came from his hand.
‘He did state that on that day, the child was giving an unusual amount of incorrect answers,’ Dubose said.
The girl was later taken by helicopter to a Jackson hospital for treatment, where she died Saturday afternoon.
Police said the toddler’s injuries included bleeding in the brain and lungs, and possible retinal detachment. Police are awaiting autopsy results to determine a cause of death.
Brace yourselves….
When investigators asked Salovich how hard he’d hit the child, on a scale of one being a tap and 10 being as hard as he could, ‘he rated them all 10s, with no hesitation,’ Dubose said.
Detectives Boyd and Thomas Abate testified that Bailey Salovich soiled herself and, after Joshua Salovich removed her clothing, she soiled herself again.
Dubose said Joshua Salovich and the mother, who has a different last name, said the mother was in a different room, explaining why she hasn’t been charged. But Dubose said police are still investigating, including whether the mother knew about his punishment methods and what she may have done to preempt the girl been abused.
Of note, Dubose said police hadn’t received any earlier reports about the child being abused or the adults.
Pursuant to the preliminary hearing, the mother collapsed and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Authorities have yet to say whether the woman is now also facing charges…
