Infant Hospitalized After Being Bitten By Rats
Monday, July 20, 2009 11:41 AM
Pictures of those arrested in link below http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/07/20/story_infant_bitten.html?sid=102PEEBLES, Ohio — Three people face charges, including child endangering, after a six-week-old girl was found early Sunday with bite marks from rats.
The girl was in fair condition at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus after losing two toes, 10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported.
Todd C. Trent, 18; Joseph Gunter, 33; and Tina Gunter, 29, were being held early Tuesday in the Ross County Jail. All three were staying in the trailer home when the girl's injuries were discovered, authorities said.
"This is something we're taking very seriously," Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk told 10TV
News. "It's one of the most horrific things I've ever seen. I hope we never see anything like
this again."
Junk said other people could face charges in connection with the case.
Trent and the Gunters were at the home on Red Bridge Road where the child was found early
Sunday. Family members told 10TV News that Trent is the boyfriend of the infant's mother,
and that Gunters are not related to Trent, the infant or the infant's mother.
Family members said neither Trent, the baby's mother nor the Gunters permanently lived at
the trailer home, but all had been staying there for several days. The home reportedly
belongs to an aunt of the infant's mother.
Doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital determined that the girl's injuries were consistent
with rodent bites and that the injuries occurred over a lengthy period of time. The girl's left
foot suffered serious injuries, and she had numerous bite marks to other parts of her body.
Two dogs were also seized from the home to determine whether they caused any of the bites.
Junk told 10TV News that the initial investigation suggests the bites all came from rats.
Junk said the incident was among the worst cases of child endangement he had seen.
"I believe that this happened through sheer, absolute neglect and carelessness," Junk said.
"It made me sick."
Authorities said two other children were removed from the home and placed in protective
custody. Investigators said the other children showed no signs of abuse.
Peebles is located in western Pike County.