The parents may be criminally charged, police said, though that decision has yet to be made. The one-month-old is in stable condition in hospital and has undergone facial surgery and may face a lifetime of surgeries. One-quarter of her face is missing and she is breathing through two stents.
While the father Burnie Fraime, was upstairs napping, the mother, Jessica Benales, went upstairs to the washroom and left baby Skyy Isabelle Fraime on her own. The family’s three ferrets were in a fabric cage and the father told local news they’d gotten out of the cage before.
“We rigged it, we tied it, but more likely they broke that out, and they can get out,” Mr. Fraime told WVPI TV in Philadelphia. “The one ferret was in there but the other two ferrets were running around when the cops came.”
It appears at least two ferrets went to the baby and in essence began eating her. The baby’s screams alerted the mother and when she ran downstairs the ferrets ran off. She found her daughter in a terrible mess and screamed to her husband that Skyy was dying. He called 911.
Police Chief: Part of face missing
Darby Borough Police Chief Robert Smythe said this is more than a case of a mistake being made by the parents. They have four other children and he said there are issues beyond this incident.
“The parents, I believe, have problems,” Smythe told the Delaware County Daily Times. “They are challenged. They can’t take care of these kids. I thought I’ve seen everything but this child, the center of (her) face is missing, her nose was gone, part of her cheek and a part of her lip.”
While the baby is in hospital, the other children have been removed and are staying in different locations with various relatives. Police haven’t said when a decision will be made on criminal charges.
The ferrets were euthanized.
