Father used dog shock collar, pliers to abuse young children, police say

A heinous case of child abuse in suburban Philadelphia has even hardened investigators shaking their heads in disbelief.

Montgomery County resident Joseph Myhre, 44, is jailed on a $1 million bail on a range of charges, including aggravated assault, strangulation and reckless endangerment involving children, among other charges. He's facing separate but similar charges involving the alleged abuse of his wife.

Police told news outlets that Myhre has been torturing his wife and children for years, that over an extended period the suspect strangled, punched and beat his 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter with wooden dowels and PVC pipes, NBC10 reported.

He also used remote-controlled dog shock collars on both children at various times, police said, and squeezed their fingers with pliers during years of home schooling.

During police interviews, the children told investigators that in addition to striking them with his fists, feet and other objects, their father would also strangle them to the point where they would lose consciousness, according to the Daily News Times.

Authorities discovered the extensive torture and abuse after Myhre’s wife went to the hospital for treatment of a fractured skull last month.

Cox Media Group