Baby undergoes surgery after rats bit her 100 times, parents arrested

New Delhi: A teenager couple was arrested by police in Magnolia, Arkansas, after their newborn daughter was found severely bitten by rats all over her body, including on her arms, fingers, hands and face inside their home.

The teenage parents, 19-year-old Erica Shyrock and and 18-year-old Charles Elliott, who were taken into police custody, have been charged with endangering the welfare of the minor.

The 15-day-old baby, who was taken to a local hospital on Sunday with 'about 75 to 100 rat bites', had also sustained a deep wound on her forehead, exposing a portion of her skull. The infant had to undergo a facial reconstruction surgery to close a 1-inch wide wound on her head.

The shocking incident was unfolded after police were summoned to Magnolia Regional Medical Center about a baby that had been bitten by rats, as per a graphic arrest affidavit.

It is said that both Shryock and Elliott were aware that their house had a rat infestation but failed to do anything about the problem.

The 19-year-old mom had told investigators that she woke up to sounds of the baby screaming and found her covered in blood.

Both Shryock and Elliott are being held at Columbia County Justice and Detention Facility without a bond.