In a heartbreaking story from Evansville, Indiana, a father described his efforts to clean up his home for his wife, only to find himself facing a horrifying situation involving their infant son. David Schonabaum, 32, told police he had been trying to “be a good husband” and make sure the house was ready for her return. But while his wife was away, tragedy struck.
On September 13, 2022, Schonabaum and his sister-in-law made a gruesome discovery. The baby boy had been severely injured, with bites and wounds all over his body. Schonabaum recalled his sister-in-law pointing out the injuries, saying, “It’s the fingers.”
Authorities later confirmed the extent of the injuries. The baby had lost flesh from the fingers and thumb on his right hand, with the bone exposed on all five fingertips. His tiny face had over 50 bites on his forehead, cheeks, and nose. Other bites covered his arms, legs, feet, and toes.
Schonabaum admitted to police that his first thought was rats. “Instantly, it was the rats because that’s the only thing that could have been in that room all night,” he said. He acknowledged the home had a severe rat problem and claimed he had hired pest control company Terminex to deal with it. However, he insisted that no one else in the house had ever been bitten by rats before.
The incident led to serious legal consequences. Schonabaum was found guilty of three counts of child neglect—one for the injured baby and two for his other children living in the home. He is now serving a 16-year prison sentence. Meanwhile, the baby’s mother, Angel Schonabaum, pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent. She received credit for a year of time served and was sentenced to three years of probation.
The tragic case has left many questions about how such a situation could happen and why the conditions in the home were allowed to become so dangerous. For now, the family’s story stands as a somber reminder of the devastating impact of neglect.
