Honk News (Evansville, IN) – A father from Indiana informed the authorities that he had been trying to tidy up his home for his spouse. However, he subsequently discovered rats had nearly eaten their baby boy.
“Trying to be a good husband and make sure the house is clean for her,” David Schonabaum, 32, said in a video from Sept. 13, 2022. “She’s coming home to a clean house.”
While the wife was away, he and his sister-in-law found the baby in a state of severe injury. As noted by Schonabaum, the sister-in-law remarked, “It’s the fingers.”
According to earlier reports, authorities indicated that the infant had lost flesh from the fingers and thumb on his right hand, with bone visible on all five fingertips. Authorities reported that he suffered over 50 bites on his forehead, cheek, and nose, along with additional bites on his arms, legs, feet, and toes.
Schonabaum is presently facing a 16-year prison term after being convicted on three charges of child neglect—one related to the infant and two concerning the other minors in the Evansville residence. In a recent development, Angel Schonabaum, the mother involved, admitted to one count of neglecting a dependent. She was credited for a year already served and has been placed on three years of probation with a suspended sentence.
In the video, David Schonabaum expressed that when it came to the bites, his immediate thought was the rats: “Instantly, it was the rats because that’s the only thing that could have been in that room all night.”
He admitted to facing serious issues with rodents in the house and emphasized that he brought in Terminex to try to resolve the situation.
He insisted that no one in the household had ever been bitten by rats before.