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A Grain Valley couple have been arrested and charged with felony child endangerment in connection with a ferret attack in January.
Ryan R. Waldo, 33, and Carrie R. Waldo, 25, turned themselves in to police Wednesday morning after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department issued a warrant for their arrest.
Bond has been set at $10,000 for both parents.
Since January, police have investigated the alleged attack, which occurred early on Jan. 10 in a home on the 200 block of Young Street.
The couple’s 4-month-old son was reportedly
seated in an infant rocker around 2 a.m. when the pet ferret entered and chewed off seven of the baby’s fingers. The father killed the animal by throwing it against the dishwasher, according to earlier statements.
The parents told police that they had never heard the baby crying.
However, according to court documents, Grain Valley police subpoenaed the couple’s cell phone records, which indicated that the phones had been used to exchange text messages from several different areas but not in the area of the home when the couple claimed to be asleep.
When the 911 call was made, both phones were at or near the home, according to documents.
Immediately following the incident, which garnered national attention, police began interviewing witnesses and discussing the investigation with prosecutors.
According to the initial police report, the mother told police the infant was seated in a baby rocker. She was in the same room with the boy, watching television, while her husband had gone to the bedroom to sleep.
The mother fell asleep, but screams from the infant awoke her. The mother saw the ferret next to the boy in his rocker. She saw several fingers missing from the boy, who was covered in blood, according to the report.
The father awoke next and grabbed the animal, throwing it against the dishwasher and killing it.
It was later determined that the ferret had severed the infant’s seven fingers with only the thumbs and a partial pinkie remaining. Tests performed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime laboratory showed that the ferret’s stomach contained human blood.
The court documents said the Waldos told police they had gotten the ferret as a family Christmas gift and that it “roamed freely throughout the residence.”
Two detectives serving a search warrant on the day of the attack discovered that the couple had moved several items around the home, including the swing the child had been sleeping in when he was attacked, according to court documents. The swing had been cleaned and the animal’s cage had been removed.
A Grain Valley couple have been arrested and charged with felony child endangerment in connection with a ferret attack in January.
Ryan R. Waldo, 33, and Carrie R. Waldo, 25, turned themselves in to police Wednesday morning after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department issued a warrant for their arrest.
Bond has been set at $10,000 for both parents.
Since January, police have investigated the alleged attack, which occurred early on Jan. 10 in a home on the 200 block of Young Street.
The couple’s 4-month-old son was reportedly
seated in an infant rocker around 2 a.m. when the pet ferret entered and chewed off seven of the baby’s fingers. The father killed the animal by throwing it against the dishwasher, according to earlier statements.
The parents told police that they had never heard the baby crying.
However, according to court documents, Grain Valley police subpoenaed the couple’s cell phone records, which indicated that the phones had been used to exchange text messages from several different areas but not in the area of the home when the couple claimed to be asleep.
When the 911 call was made, both phones were at or near the home, according to documents.
Immediately following the incident, which garnered national attention, police began interviewing witnesses and discussing the investigation with prosecutors.
According to the initial police report, the mother told police the infant was seated in a baby rocker. She was in the same room with the boy, watching television, while her husband had gone to the bedroom to sleep.
The mother fell asleep, but screams from the infant awoke her. The mother saw the ferret next to the boy in his rocker. She saw several fingers missing from the boy, who was covered in blood, according to the report.
The father awoke next and grabbed the animal, throwing it against the dishwasher and killing it.
It was later determined that the ferret had severed the infant’s seven fingers with only the thumbs and a partial pinkie remaining. Tests performed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime laboratory showed that the ferret’s stomach contained human blood.
The court documents said the Waldos told police they had gotten the ferret as a family Christmas gift and that it “roamed freely throughout the residence.”
Two detectives serving a search warrant on the day of the attack discovered that the couple had moved several items around the home, including the swing the child had been sleeping in when he was attacked, according to court documents. The swing had been cleaned and the animal’s cage had been removed.
John Brandriff, one of the landlords, had contacted a local ferret advocate four days before the attack after he learned the couple wanted to give the animal away after it had bitten the child twice.
At the time, the couple appeared as though they wanted to give or sell the animal to the advocate because it had “nipped” the child. Carrie sent a picture to her landlord, who then forwarded it to the advocate, with the message: “Here u go Angie. Looks like a ringer. Kids voting no right now but it probably won’t be long before he nips baby again and they get over it.”
The three children, including the baby, are living with other family members, according to police. The Waldos were ordered to have no contact with their children.
In February, Grain Valley police indicated that the Waldos may face charges for neglect and failure to obtain a $100 license for the exotic pet.
The baby was in critical condition following the attack, but Grain Valley Police Chief Aaron Ambrose said Wednesday the child is doing well and may be in line for future surgeries through the Shriners organization.
Ken Tuttle, the animal control officer for Grain Valley, told The Examiner following the incident that ferrets are not aggressive if nurtured in a controlled environment.
