BELTON, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) – Parents in South Carolina are facing charges after police said their twin babies were found with rat bite marks on their bodies.
According to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, Akayla and Justin Bearden, both 24, were charged with two counts of unlawful conduct towards a child.
Deputies responded to the home in Belton when the mother called 911 on Friday morning to report that her 6-month-old child was covered in blood.
The sheriff’s office said a “large rat started eating the child.”
When they arrived, deputies said they found blood covering the baby girl and her bassinet. They said there were bite marks on the baby’s arms, back of the head, ears and face.
The baby was immediately taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Investigators found that the baby girl has a twin brother, who also had bite marks on his feet.
Deputies said the parents admitted that field rats have been an ongoing issue inside their home for the last several months, but they still allowed their children to live there.