We cover a lot of stories about animal attacks from bears to alligators to snakes. But nature's most horrifying predator turns humans themselves. A court recently found an Indiana father guilty of three felonies. This comes after his 6-month-old son almost died from 50 rat bites at his family's home.
The incident happened in 2023. The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor's Office announced that the jury returned its verdict. They found David Anthony Schonabaum guilty on three charges. This comes after authorities found the infant "in his bassinet in a pool of blood with over 50 bites to his body including his face and extremities." Rats had attacked the baby.
The Indiana father called emergency services saying he found his son covered in blood. "The infant's right hand suffered the most traumatic injuries with all four fingers and the thumb missing flesh and exposing the fingertip bones," the prosecutor's office said.
Rats Attack Infant
It's not the first time that authorities came out to the town. Department of Child Services previously visited the home. They got a third party to help fix the house. However, they told Schonabaum he needed to keep the house in proper order and clean. Fast forward, authorities discovered "the home in a deplorable, unlivable condition."
They're blaming the father for allowing conditions for rats to prosper. "A medical professional testified at the trial to the severity of the infant's injuries, reporting the infant child nearly died from blood loss," the prosecutor's office added. "This baby now faces permanent injuries from this incident."
Now, the Indiana father is facing 16 years in prison for child negligence causing serious bodily injury. Authorities said that the rat bites left the infant seriously disfigured.
"The home he was forced to live in with his young siblings was overrun by rats and bugs, and the photos of the home show it full of trash and rat feces," Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers added. "This baby lived in an absolute house of horrors along with his siblings and pet dog."
Moers continued, "This case is horrific, and we will live with the images of this baby forever. It is completely shocking to the conscience that anyone would live in these conditions, much less allow their children, baby, and animals to live among absolute filth when they cannot help themselves."
