WESTWEGO, La. – A three-month-old child who had literally hundreds of what appeared to be rat bites on her body was found dead in her crib Thursday, according to Westwego Police Chief Dwayne Munch.


The incident occurred in the 700 block of Central Avenue around 7:30 a.m.


Munch said emergency calls were placed early Thursday and that EMS crews responded to the scene and found the father in the front yard screaming that his daughter was dead.


Once inside, investigators said they found the child in its crib suffering from trauma to the nose and bottom of the leg. Munch said flesh had been removed from the child and that there was plenty of blood on the scene and footprints leading from the crib that appeared to be from a large rat.


No rat had been found as of Thursday afternoon, but Munch said the home where the child was found has been condemned after police found several holes throughout the structure that opened up to the outside.


Munch said it has not been determined if the child was dead before it suffered the animal bites, but that no foul play is suspected.