Most parents do everything to ensure their children are cared for and loved. However, some caregivers fail to provide a clean, safe place for their kids to live and pay the consequences. An Indiana mom of a baby who nearly died from over 50 rat bites recently learned her fate.
In October, Angel Schonabaum of Evansville, Indiana, pleaded guilty to several counts of child neglect. The charges stemmed from a 2023 incident during which her 6-month-old son nearly bled out after suffering severe rat bites. Her husband, David Schonabaum, was previously convicted and sentenced for the horrifying injuries their baby suffered.
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The Indiana mom pleaded guilty to child neglect and was sentenced to probation.
On October 24, Angel Schonabaum pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, according to a statement from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office. She also pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent. The mother was sentenced to four years in prison but credited for the year she already served. Ultimately, the judge suspended the remaining three years, ordering Angel Schonabaum to serve probation instead.
Weeks before, the baby’s father was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
David Schonabaum was convicted of similar charges in September. Earlier in October, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison, Fox 59 reported. Prosecutors noted their infant son was in his father’s care at the time he received the debilitating rat bites; his mother had moved out of their home weeks before.
Their 6-month-old baby boy nearly bled out after more than 50 rat bites in September 2023.
David Schonabaum called 911 on September 13, 2023, after finding his 6-month-old son covered in blood in his bassinet, according to the statement from the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office. The infant had more than 50 bites on his face and extremities.
“The infant’s right hand suffered the most traumatic injuries with all four fingers and the thumb missing flesh and exposing the fingertip bones,” prosecutors noted.
Meanwhile, the state of the home was deplorable.
In addition to the injured baby, police discovered rodent footprints in the blood inside the bassinet, WLFI News 18 reported. Officers also observed trash, clutter, and discarded food partially eaten by the rats and mice. Rodent feces and traps were also found in the Evansville home.
CPS previously provided services to address safety concerns at the home.
The Department of Child Services had provided “services to the home to address the safety concerns associated with the conditions of the house,” according to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office’s statement.
With her sentencing, prosecutors noted that Angel Schonabaum was “held accountable for the deplorable conditions of the home which she was responsible for when residing there — and for which she was offered multiple services to assist with clean-up of the home and did not cooperate or remove the children from the home. This matter has ultimately resulted in losing custody of her children.”
Angel Schonabaum’s probation also includes an order to have no contact with her kids and to have a mental health evaluation.