South Carolina police arrest parents after seeing 'large rat eating the child'

Police in South Carolina responded to a 911 call and walked into a house and saw a large rat "eating" a six-month-old baby girl. They saw bite marks on the other twin baby and arrested the parents for letting the rats gnaw at their children.

The mother had made the call to the police, telling them that her baby was covered in blood. The police showed up and witnessed the horrific scene. The sheriff’s office said a "large rat started eating the child." Anderson County Sheriff’s Office informed that the parents, Akayla and Justin Bearden, have been charged with two counts of unlawful conduct towards a child.

The sheriff's office said that the mother saw the six-month-old baby girl and her bassinet covered in blood and called 911. "Deputies responded to D and M Drive as soon as the mother called 911, finding blood covering the bassinet and the infant," the sheriff's department said. "The bite marks span across the baby's arms, back of the head, ears and face."

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Another baby, a twin, also had bite marks on its feet. The baby girl was taken to Greenville Memorial Hospital for treatment.

South Carolina parents knew about the rats

A spokesperson for the police department said that during the investigation, the parents admitted that rats had been a menace in their home. "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," the department said.

The couple also have an older child who has been handed over to child protection services, along with the second twin baby. The baby girl will remain in the hospital for now.

The parents cannot meet the children unless allowed by CPS. They will appear before a judge again on July 31.