Dr. Melvin Morse, left, and his attorney Joe Hurley waived Morse's preliminary hearing Thursday morning at the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas. (Photo: WBOC)
Police say Melvin Morse's wife, Pauline Morse, above, witnessed some of the waterboarding but did nothing to stop it.GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP/WBOC)- A Delaware pediatrician is denying allegations that he waterboarded his 11-year-old stepdaughter over a two-year period as part of his research into near-death experiences involving children.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, 58-year-old Dr. Melvin Morse of Georgetown questioned how anyone could do such a thing. He also said he has not done near-death research in 15 years.
Morse made the comments while awaiting a preliminary hearing at the Sussex County Court of Common Plea on felony charges of child endangerment and conspiracy. Both he and the girl's mother, Pauline, waived their rights to preliminary hearings. Their case now goes to Superior Court.
Police suggested in a search warrant affidavit that Morse may have been experimenting on his stepdaughter as part his research into near-death experiences by bringing her "to a possible near death state from the simulation of drowning."
Morse was accused in July of grabbing his daughter by the ankle and dragging her across a gravel driveway. Police said that when investigators did a follow-up interview last week, the girl said Morse had held her face under running water at least four times since 2009, using faucets in the kitchen, bathroom sink and bathtub. Her mother, Pauline Morse, witnessed some of the waterboarding but did nothing to stop it, according to police.
