Green Bay, WI – A 35-year-old Wisconsin father has been arrested after allegedly severely abusing his 6-week-old newborn son, leaving the infant with broken femurs, fractured ribs, and other near-fatal injuries.
Arrest and Charges
William Paul Page was taken into custody on Monday and faces one count of physical abuse of a child by repeated acts intentionally causing great bodily harm and one count of strangulation or suffocation, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. He appeared before Outagamie County Circuit Judge Brian G. Figy, who ordered pretrial detention with a $100,000 cash-only bond.
Investigation Details
The investigation began after the newborn’s mother brought the child to a local hospital on September 29 due to injuries sustained to his mouth. During discussions with medical staff, she reportedly revealed that she had witnessed Page physically abuse the baby a week earlier, hitting him in the chest during an “angry outburst”.
Page’s Statements to Police
In interviews with detectives, Page admitted to having anger issues, stating he had previously “punched walls, hit doors, slammed doors, [and] hit the bedside table” to vent frustration. He also mentioned a specific wall in the house he would hit to release anger.
When questioned about the baby’s colic cry, Page said it worsened 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 confessed to slapping the infant at least once and squeezing him with such force that he would go limp. He admitted this happened “maybe once every four or five times.” When asked if his actions could have caused the child’s death, he said it was “possible” but claimed he did not intend to kill 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.'”
Extent of Injuries
The infant suffered multiple serious injuries, including:
- Broken femurs
- Seven fractured ribs
- Clavicle fracture
- Chest contusion
- Hemorrhages to the eyes
Prosecutors emphasized the severity of the child’s injuries when requesting a high cash-only bond. Outagamie County District Attorney Melinda Tempelis said:
“Again, this baby is 6 weeks old. He has significant, significant injuries. We are lucky this is not a homicide.”
Next Court Appearance
As of Friday, Page remains in the Outagamie County Jail. He is scheduled for a status conference on October 23, 2025.
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