Mother of baby found with over 50 rat bites and ‘very near to death’ just got no prison time

An Indiana mother of a 6-month-old boy who was found covered in more than 50 rat bites in their vermin-infested home has been sentenced.

Angel Schonabaum, 29, learned her fate on Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent. She received a four-year sentence and was given credit for time served of one year. The balance of her sentence was suspended to probation, online court records show. She will be required to take a mental health evaluation and follow any recommended treatment.

The baby’s father, David Schonabaum, 32, was convicted in September of child neglect of the baby and two other children in the home. He was sentenced to 16 years behind bars.

The case came to light on Sept. 3, 2023, when officers with the Evansville Police Department responded to a call about a baby requiring emergency medical attention at a residence in the 1600 block of South Linwood Avenue. The caller — later identified as David Schonabaum — told the dispatcher that he awoke to find his infant son “covered in blood” and said the boy’s fingers appeared to have been “chewed off.”

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