Father beats 3-year-old girl and puts her into hot oven

A father brutally assaulted a young girl by hitting her with a belt and locking her inside a hot oven, according to police in.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said that the DeLand man is wanted on a charge of child abuse in a case where the victim, a 3-year-old girl, suffered several injuries and disclosed that she was put into an oven.

Volusia County sheriff’s detectives are looking for 45-year-old Terry L. May of Lenox Court.

Hit with belt

On Thursday, a deputy responded to the victim’s home to meet with her and an investigator with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF).

The girl reported that May frequently hit her with a belt.

She had several noticeable injuries, including an extensive abrasion on her ear, several contusions and swelling on the top of her head and forehead, a 6-inch scar on her back, and abrasions and lacerations on her feet, hands and, leg.

The ear abrasion appeared to be consistent with a burn injury.

On the run

After a medical examination, the victim told the DCF investigator that May had put her in the oven.

Attempts to locate May were not immediately successful and deputies are actively looking for him.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood designated May as the “Scumbag of the Week” and urged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect’s family members denied the allegations, saying that May was an excellent father to the girl and the child’s mother coaxed her to make up stories against him.