A baby boy was discovered with more than 50 rat bites and some fingers gnawed to the bone in a 'near-fatal incident' in Indiana, police say
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- A baby boy in Indiana was hospitalized after suffering more than 50 rat bites.
- The infant's fingers and thumb on his right hand had flesh missing from the top.
- The child's parents and aunt are being held in Vanderburgh County jail, in Evansville, Indiana.
A baby was hospitalized after being found with over 50 rat bites in a "near-fatal incident," the Evansville Courier and Press reported.
Indiana police discovered the six-month-old in a rodent-infested home in Evansville, Indiana, on September 13.
Local police officers arrived at the home after the child's father called the Evansville Police Department, an arrest affidavit said, the Courier and Press reported. Insider approached Evansville Police Department for comment and is awaiting a response.
The baby was suffering from more than 50 rat bite wounds, including to his forehead, nose, cheek, thigh, foot, and toes, the Mail Online reported.
"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," Detective Jonathan Helm wrote in the affidavit, per the Courier and Press.
"The damage to (the victim's) index and pinky fingers were the most severe, as they were missing the flesh halfway down each finger," he added.
The child's parents, David Schonabaum and Angel Schonabaum, are facing charges of neglect in the Midwestern state and were taken to a local jail.
The boy's aunt, Delaina Thurman, reportedly lived with Schonabaums and is also being charged with child neglect, per the report.
Paramedics took the child to a local hospital, but Police Sgt. Anna Gray told USA Today that the baby had been released and was now in foster care.
The other children living in the home have also been removed from their parents' care by Child Protective Services (DCS), USA Today reported.
"I've been on an officer for 20 years, and we've seen some serious neglect cases but nothing where it involved rats feeding off a child," Gray said, per the outlet. "It's horrible."
"Their excuse was that they did not hear the child cry," Gray said, per The Mail Online. "The home was overwhelmed with rodents."
The DCS had already been monitoring the family, and Maglinger Behavioral Health Services had begun twice-weekly checks of the residence in April, per the Courier and Press.
A caseworker's notes said the house was littered with things like trash and animal feces, but they said that the home was "slowly improving, a police officer said.
Neighbors interviewed by local news outlet 14 News appeared unaware of the situation, with one reportedly saying: "They have always been nice. They have always been cool. I have always seen her take care of that baby."