US Man Sentenced To 16 Yrs Imprisonment After Rats ‘Disfigure’ His Baby

David Schonabaum, a father from Indiana, USA, has been punished with a prison sentence of 16 years after his six-month-old baby was severely disfigured in a rat attack inside his home which was described as “house of horrors” by the prosecutors.

In September 2023, the infant was found in a pool of blood. The baby had suffered more than 50 rat bites. Rats had eaten away all four fingers and the thumb of the infant exposing the fingertip bones, said the prosecution.

The rat attack “permanently disfigured” the baby and, as a result, he will “suffer for a lifetime,” it added.

Investigation revealed that the accused man had kept his baby in an absolute house of horrors along with his siblings and pet dog.

Schonabaum was convicted in September 2024 on three felony charges related to the neglect and endangerment of his children. According to a report on Fox 59, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on October 2, 2024. Angel Schonabaum, the child’s mother, entered a plea agreement last week and is set to be sentenced later this month. Meanwhile, Delaina Thurman, the baby’s aunt, received a sentence of probation earlier this year for her role in the neglect.

The family’s home was found to be in a state of extreme neglect. It was infested with rats, piled high with clutter, and filled with trash, bugs, and rat droppings. Three children in the home had been bitten by rats before the injuries the 6-month-old had suffered.