A shocking story is making headlines in China after a woman tried to eat her own baby just minutes after delivery. The cannibal mom has been identified as 24-year-old Li Zhenghua, and she was spotted by a nurse biting into the child’s arm. The nurse immediately sounded the alarm and tried to pull the baby free but to no avail. It was only after multiple doctors came in and sedated her that they were able to pull the baby from her jaws.

Not much is known about Zhenghua and her mental history. She was taken to a hospital in the county’s Guangdong Province after being discovered on the street and on the verge of going into labor. After successfully delivering a healthy boy, she was left alone to nurse her newly born child while administrators tried to get in touch with family members.

To the horror of a nurse who entered Zhenghua’s room, the woman went completely Hannibal Lector on her son whom she was nursing just minutes before. While the baby is okay, it has suffered bleeding and bruising on its arm. Quick thinking doctors were able to stop her by administering sedatives and forcing a clamp into her mouth, which prevented her from completely closing her teeth and possibly ripping the child’s arm off.

According to officials, Zhenghua, now being dubbed the cannibal mom, was living on the streets. Her mother-in-law apparently kicked her out of the home after she began behaving erratically. No attempts were made by any family members to get her medical or psychiatric help.

To the shock of many, authorities are actually debating whether the baby should be returned to the cannibal mom. The woman clearly needs help and belongs in a ward if not in a straightjacket and a cannibal restraint mask. The story is so horrific that its headlines would be more fitting for a horror movie synopsis.

[photo credit: mamma loves]