Parents charged after 'large rat starts eating six-month-old baby girl' in cot

Daily Record

14-05-2025

Akayla and Justin Bearden have been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child after a six-month-old girl was found to have been bitten by a large rat.
The parents of a baby have been charged after an incident left their six-month-old daughter covered in blood and bite marks, when a large rat reportedly began to attack her.
A frantic situation unfolded as officers from the Anderson County Sheriff's Department (ACSD) descended on a property in Belton, western South Carolina, after receiving a distressing call early Friday morning about a rat attacking an infant. "Deputies responded to D and M Drive as soon as [the] mother called 911, finding blood covering the bassinet and the infant," detailed a spokesperson from the sheriff department.
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"The bite marks span across the baby's arms, back of the head, ears and face."
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Emergency medical personnel whisked the baby girl off to Greenville Memorial Hospita l, approximately 24 miles northward, concurrently with the investigation launched by law enforcement officers.
During their enquiries, it was disclosed that the baby's twin brother also bore bite marks, though on his feet, reports the Mirror.
An ACSD representative shared: "The parents admitted to field rats being an ongoing issue inside their single wide home for the last several months, however, they continued to allow their children to live there."
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Akayla and Justin Bearden, both aged 24, faced charges of unlawful conduct towards a child following the harrowing event.
Child protection services have since assumed custody of the couple's three offspring. The injured infant stays hospitalised while investigations into the grim matter are ongoing. The police have not disclosed whether the girl's twin brother received medical treatment at a hospital or from any medical teams.
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The age of the third child and whether they were neglected was also not revealed by the police. Both parents are prohibited from contacting their children unless authorised by child protection services. They are due to appear before a judge again on 31 July.
Under South Carolina law, unlawful conduct towards a child is considered a felony that can lead to up to 10 years in prison. A person can be found guilty if the prosecution can prove the accused had.
According to US Government statistics, there were 14,572 victims of child maltreatment in the state in 2022. This represents a decrease from the 15,308, 18,717 and 19,130 recorded in 2021, 2019 and 2018, respectively.
In 2020, a year marked by lockdowns and more people staying at home, 14,263 cases were recorded in the state.