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South Carolina parents arrested after infant found with rat bite marks

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Published  May 17, 2025 5:02pm EDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX Local
article

 Akayla Bearden and Justin Bearden. (Credit: Anderson County Sheriff's Office)

The Brief

    • The parents of a 6-month-old baby girl in South Carolina were arrested after the infant was found with multiple bite marks from a field rat.
    • The baby is currently recovering in the hospital, and bite marks were also found on her twin brother.
    • The parents have been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, and all three of their children are now in custody.

BELTON, S.C. - The South Carolina parents of a baby girl have been arrested and charged after the infant was found with bite marks from a field rat. 

The backstory:

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said the 6-month-old girl is recovering in a hospital after a "large rat starting eating the child" inside a home earlier this month. 

Deputies responded to the home after the mother called 911 from finding blood covering the bassinet and the infant.

Bite marks were found across the baby’s arms, back of the head, ears and face. Marks were also found on her twin brother. 

Deputies then interviewed the parents, 24-year-old Akayla Bearden and Justin Bearden, and charged them with unlawful conduct towards a child.

The couple's three children are in custody.

What's next:

Deputies said the infant will stay in the hospital for several days while the case is being investigated. 

The Source: The information in this story came from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, which provided details about the incident, the condition of the infant, and the investigation on its Facebook page. This story was reported from Los Angeles. 

Crime and Public SafetySouth Carolina