A 6-month-old baby boy in the United States was nearly eaten alive by rats that bit him over 50 times while he slept in his crib this past week, On September 13, the incident occurred in Indiana. Officers from the Evansville Police Department arrived at a “rodent-infested” home after the child’s father David Schonabaum called to report that his 6-month-old son seemed to have sustained major bite injuries.
The police found that the baby’s fingers had been chewed and the infant suffered over fifty bite wounds on his forehead, cheeks, nose, thighs and foot. After his fever dropped to 93.5 degrees, the baby boy was transported to an Indianapolis hospital, where physicians gave him a blood transfusion. The normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees, according to the Mayo Clinic. As per the boy’s vitals, he had moderate hypothermia as well as hypoxemia.
According to Sergeant Anna Gray of the Evansville Police Department, the doctors told the police that due to severe blood loss, the baby required blood transfusions and his fingers were amputated due to the damage caused by rat bites.
Highlighting the neglect on the part of the wounded infant’s parents, Sgt. Gray said, “Their excuse was that they did not hear the child cry.”
Inside the victim’s room, detectives reportedly discovered clutter and trash, including discarded food items. There looked to be rodent footprints in the blood, as well as rodent faeces and several items in the room that appeared to have been chewed on by rodents, according to police. Authorities allegedly discovered rodent faeces, rat traps, and a bait box in other rooms of the house. According to police, the residence had a terrible stench in the kitchen and basement.
Meanwhile, police have arrested and jailed the baby’s father David Schonabaum, and his wife Angel Schonabaum is being held on a bond of $10,000. In an arrest affidavit, police detective Jonathan Helm stated, “All four of (the victim’s) fingers and thumb on his right hand were missing the flesh from the top of them, exposing fingertip bones. The damage to (the victim’s) index and pinky fingers was the most severe, as they were missing flesh halfway down each finger.”
The victim child’s aunt Delania Thurman told the police that her oldest child and eldest child of the Schonabaum couple told their teacher on September 1 that they were bitten by rodents. On September 5, Thurman told the Child Services Department officials that their house had a “normal” number of rats. Now, the Schonabaum couple and Delania Thurman are facing multiple charges of child neglect.
