A 35-year-old Wisconsin father has been detained after allegedly severely abusing his 6-week-old newborn son, resulting in broken femurs, fractured ribs, and other near-fatal injuries.
William Paul Page was arrested on Monday and charged with one count of physical abuse of a child by repeated acts intentionally causing grave bodily damage and one count of strangling or suffocation, according to court records seen by Law&Crime. He appeared before Outagamie County Circuit Judge Brian G. Figy, who ordered pretrial detention and a $100,000 cash-only bond.
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The investigation began on September 29, when the newborn’s mother brought him to a local hospital for mouth injuries. During negotiations with medical personnel, she allegedly confessed that she had witnessed Page physically assault the infant a week before, slapping him in the chest during an “angry outburst.”
In questioning with detectives, Page admitted to having rage issues, claiming that he had previously “punched walls, hit doors, slammed doors, [and] hit the bedside table” to relieve irritation. He also recalled hitting a specific wall in the house to vent his fury.
When asked about the baby’s colic cry, Page stated it exacerbated his emotional outbursts.
“Yeah, for me like it gets to the point, like, like I was talking to my pediatrician…where my anger, you know, for typically like it just builds, builds, builds…But lately with the colic, which is him crying constantly and so high pitched, it seems like my anger will just like, all of a sudden just snap…it’ll be there and snap which is obviously why I want to get back on medication.”
Page reportedly admitted to smacking the infant at least once and squeezing him so hard that he became limp. He said that this occurred “maybe once every four or five times.” When asked if his actions could have resulted in the child’s death, he said it was “possible” but that he had no intention of killing his son.
“Police advised Bill he would be taken into custody for physical abuse of a child and Bill stated, ‘I don’t know why this is considered abuse…this isn’t intentional.’”
The infant sustained numerous critical injuries, including:
- Broken femurs
- Seven fractured ribs
- Clavicle fracture
- Chest contusion
- Hemorrhages to the eyes
Prosecutors requested a large cash-only bond due to the severity of the child’s injuries. Melinda Tempelis, the district attorney for Outagamie County, stated:
“Again, this baby is 6 weeks old. He has significant, significant injuries. We are lucky this is not a homicide.”
Page was still being held in the Outagamie County Jail on Friday. He is set to appear in a status conference on October 23, 2025.
