An Indiana jury convicted a father of neglect after his infant son suffered at least 50 rat bites that went untreated. David Schonabaum, 32, was living with his wife, Angel, and their five children in a rat-infested home in Evansville. The baby was only 6 months old at the time and is now permanently disfigured. His father called 911 on September 13, 2023, to report he’d found his son covered in blood. When emergency crews arrived at the home at 1606 South Linwood Avenue, they were horrified by what they saw.
According to a news release from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, as soon as emergency responders got to the home, it was clear there was a rat infestation. Thankfully, the infant survived, but his life will never be the same.
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The baby’s face and hands received horrific injuries.
Per the prosecutor’s office, when first responders arrived, they found the infant in a bassinet in a pool of blood. He had more than 50 rat bites on his face and limbs.
“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 release reads.
Investigators found the Department of Child Services had been working with the family.
DCS made an earlier visit to the home and tried to help the family because of safety concerns in the home. A third-party pest control representative stated they had attempted to help the family, but their efforts were “fleeting.”
The pest control representative made clear to Schonabaum that his participation was necessary in providing the children with a safe house to live in, but the problems that needed to be addressed were never resolved. Schonabaum was reportedly given several reusable rat traps to thwart an infestation, but it appears he did not use them.
The infant’s injuries could have killed him.
A medical professional testified that the infant nearly died from blood loss due to his father’s negligence. Rats had also bitten three other children in the past, the prosecutor’s office release noted.
Photos from the home on September 13, 2023, reportedly showed deplorable conditions, unsuitable for a family. The jury quickly convicted Schonabaum on three counts of felony neglect.
The case left officials shaken.
Prosecutor Diana Moers shared in the release on Facebook that she would never forget the images she saw and condemned Schonabaum for living in such deplorable conditions and exposing his children, who had no other choice, to such harm.
“It is also unimaginable how a rat was able to do such damage to this infant before his father called for help. We will be asking that his sentence is appropriately harsh as this behavior is not okay. This Defendant was offered every community resource and would not cooperate – as a result, this baby will suffer for a lifetime,” she said.
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Schonabaum faces sentencing in October.
The father is due in court on October 2 and could face years in prison. The lead charge alone, neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, holds a maximum sentence of 16 years, Moers said.
“We look forward to the sentencing date in this case and will hold nothing back when asking the court to weigh the aggravating factors of this case which justify the highest possible sentence,” she added.
According to online court records, Angel Schonabaum will be in court on September 23.
