Mom Ordered to Undergo Mental Health Evaluation After Infant Son Found Covered in Rat Bites
A mother of a baby found to be covered in dozens of rat bites has been sentenced and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Angel Schonabaum, 29, was initially arrested on September 19, 2023 by police in Evansville, Indiana, after the extent of her son’s injuries were discovered by first responders six days earlier.
Her husband, 32-year-old David Schonabaum, called paramedics and police to their Evansville home on September 13 of that year, saying he found serious bite wounds on the child.
The Courier & Press reports the six-month-old boy was found to be covered in over 50 rat bites.
In some places, he had been chewed to the bone.
“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,” an affidavit written by Detective Jonathan Helm states.
“The damage to (the victim’s) index and pinky fingers were the most severe, as they were missing the flesh halfway down each finger.”
According to Law & Crime, the boy was rushed to the hospital and found to be near death. He was eventually airlifted to another hospital for specialized treatment.
Several of the boy’s fingers had to be amputated, and he required multiple blood transfusions over the course of his emergency treatment.
Detectives investigating the home found a scene of horror.
In the bedroom, where the baby’s bassinet stood just feet away from the Schonabaums’ bed, investigators found trash and half-eaten food. Detectives also observed rat feces across the clutter.
The inside of the bassinet was covered in blood, as was a pillow and blanket apparently used by the child.
A diaper disposal in the room was found “smeared” with blood that apparently also showed rats crossing the gruesome stain.
Both parents allege they did not hear the child cry, and David Schonabaum said he only noticed the boy’s injuries after the profuse bleeding began.
David Schonabaum was convicted of child neglect against the six-month-old and two other children present in the home on September 11 of this year and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Under a sentencing agreement, Angel Schonabaum was given four years of probation. The judge gave her a year of credited time, leaving the mother with only three years of probation to serve.
She must still undergo the aforementioned mental health evaluation.
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