Baby’s Death Deemed Homicide After Daycare Administered Lethal Amount Of Medication

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A parent’s worst nightmare was realized when their 4-month-old baby died while at daycare back in March.

The death was originally ruled a case of SIDS, but is now being investigated as a possible homicide

4-month-old Adam Seagull died while at an unlicensed home daycare in Connecticut and according to NBC News, Police Chief Chris Lyddy had ruled that there were no signs of trauma.

Toxicology experts reportedly informed detectives that high levels of diphenhydramine, or Benadryl, were found in Adam’s blood.

No charges have been laid as police now face the task of determining how an infant so young could have ingested such high levels of the drug in the first place. Police need to determine whether the overdose was committed on purpose or whether it was accidental due to negligence.

Daycare owner Carol Cardillo is now facing additional charges of running an unlicensed daycare, one that has been in operation for 11 years. As for charges in the baby’s death, Chief Lyddy says  “It is very much an active investigation.”

He said that while it is possible the overdose could be found to be accidental, “but certainly, negligence would be a factor in administering a lethal dose of anything to an infant.”

This isn’t the first time the death of an infant in daycare has been attributed to an overdose.

Just last month a daycare provider in Ohio was arrested and charged with murder and child endangering after an 8-month-old in her care was given too much Benadryl to fall asleep. Benadryl is a medication used to treat allergies, many use it as a sort of sleep aid.

Even the Benadryl website cautions against the use of their product on children under the age of 2, and warns not to use it to make a child sleepy. The investigation into the child’s death is still ongoing.