Mother of baby disfigured by more than 50 rat bites pleads guilty: prosecutors

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (TNND) — the mother of A 6-month-old baby was seriously injured after being bitten repeatedly by rats. pleaded guilty to multiple counts of negligence, according to Indiana prosecutors.

The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office said Angel Schonabaum appeared in court Thursday on three felony counts related to the neglect of her children, including neglect resulting in serious bodily injury and two counts of neglect of a dependent involving to each of his three children.

Diana Moers, prosecuting attorney, said the incident occurred on Sept. 13, 2023, when Angel’s husband, David Schonabaum, called 911 from their home and claimed he found their son covered in blood.

Moers said the baby had been “severely mauled by rats” as he suffered at least 50 wounds.

“The six-month-old baby was found in his bassinet in a pool of blood with more than 50 bite marks on his body, including his face and limbs,” Moers said, adding that the house was infested with rats. “The baby’s right hand suffered the most traumatic injuries: the four fingers and thumb were missing flesh and exposed the finger bones.

Moers said Angel was sentenced to four years in prison, while David was previously sentenced to 16 years in prison for similar neglect charges and for his role in the case involving their baby.

Prosecutors addressed the disparity in sentences between the parents, noting that Angel was not in the house during the rat bite incident.

“In this case, the father was the only one residing in the house during the rat bite incident (the mother left and did not return almost two weeks earlier) and, therefore, his case is totally different from the facts that we can hold the mother responsible for,” Moers said.

Moers added that Angel is being prosecuted because she failed to provide “adequate living conditions for her children.” Ángel also lost custody of the children.

“She was held responsible for the deplorable conditions of the home for which she was responsible when she resided there, and for which she was offered multiple services to assist with cleaning the home and did not cooperate or remove the children from the home. “This matter has ultimately resulted in the loss of custody of their children,” Moers said in the statement.

“It is imperative that you keep your living environment clean and free of trash, feces, debris, and other dangers to your children and pets. If you are struggling with mental illness, you should seek help and remove children and animals. —Of conditions dangerous and unhealthy foods that pose a risk to your health and safety—if you don’t, you will be held liable,” Moers added.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: WKRC contributed to this report.