Troopers: Infant allegedly had diaper rash for months, slept in wet bed; 2 charged

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (WDTV/Gray News) - A West Virginia man and woman have been charged after authorities say an infant had a diaper rash for months and lived in a home that was dirty and in disarray, WDTV reports.

Troopers with the West Virginia State Police were dispatched to a home in Buckhannon around 12:45 p.m. Sunday in reference to a welfare check concerning an infant, according to a criminal complaint.

While en route, troopers were told that EMS saw the infant a half hour prior due to a severe diaper rash, adding that 27-year-old Joshua Bean said he would take the infant to the hospital instead of EMS transporting them.

Court documents say Joshua Bean and 20-year-old Michelle Bean left the infant with a neighbor and had not returned. Troopers say they found the two standing outside of another building and told them to walk back to their home.

While speaking to the Beans about the diaper rash, troopers say Michelle Bean told them she had taken the infant to the hospital “many times,” and Joshua Bean said he told EMS he “would find a ride” for the infant to go to the hospital.

Michelle Bean reportedly said the neighbors asked about the diaper rash when they “said they would watch him [for] a couple days.” She also reportedly told troopers the neighbor’s family member “was going to take them to the hospital.”

Troopers say Joshua Bean also told them EMS was called less than an hour before they arrived on scene because “he had asked his neighbor to look at the diaper rash.”

The neighbor reportedly told troopers the infant had a bright, red rash with blisters “all over the entire groin” and “down the legs and buttocks.” They also allegedly said the infant has had the rash for four months, adding that Joshua Bean asked the neighbor to take the infant to the hospital and that Michelle Bean did not want EMS to be called.

The neighbor said Joshua or Michelle Bean had to be present for the infant to be admitted to the hospital, but “they would not go.”

Troopers say they then went inside the Beans’ home, and the living room was “dirty and in disarray.”

In the apartment, troopers say there were three dirty mattresses with holes exposing springs with two soiled diapers lying between them and pieces of trash on the floor.

Court documents say the Beans showed troopers a bathroom, where the infant was allegedly bathed, and it had “a swarm of gnats flying over the toilet and shower.” The bathroom also had a baby bathtub on the floor “with what appeared to be used toilet paper inside it.”

In an adjacent bedroom, troopers say there was a crib in the corner with a mattress that had “several urine stains and dried feces all over as well as a blanket covered in feces.” In addition, there were “several piles of dog feces” on the floor in that bedroom and another bedroom in the home.

The Beans allegedly said the child had not slept in the crib for about a week and had been sleeping in a bassinet elsewhere in the home.

Troopers say Michelle Bean then told them the infant was actually bathed in another bathroom but added that it had been at least two days since the infant had been given a bath.

The baby bathtub the infant was allegedly last bathed in had food in it, according to troopers, and the kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes with “a swarm of gnats flying above them.” Michelle Bean reportedly told troopers they didn’t have soap to wash dishes.

Court documents say troopers saw the bassinet, and it “appeared dirty and wet with dried feces on the inside.”

The Beans have both been charged with child neglect creating risk of injury. They are being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $5,000 bond.

Copyright 2023 WDTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.