Background: News footage of Adam Canales outside a Lubbock County courtroom (KCBD). Adam Canales (Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office).
A Texas man has been convicted of manslaughter after he confessed to consistently administering Benadryl to his 2-month-old daughter to induce sleep, which led to her death from the final dose.
Adam Canales, 33, and his wife, Sarah Canales, 25, were taken into custody in January 2022, months after their infant daughter succumbed to “mixed drug toxicity,” per the autopsy. Law&Crime earlier reported that Adam Canales admitted to authorities that he administered Benadryl to his infant daughter, despite being aware that “Benadryl should not be given to infants and that it induces sleep.”
During the proceedings, Lubbock County District Attorney Sunshine Stanek indicated that Adam Canales wanted his daughter asleep to have “quality time” with his spouse.
Court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KLBK revealed that both parents confessed to administering various drugs to the baby, including Benadryl, ZzzQuil, and dextromethorphan. Stanek informed the court that the parents “dosed her” to ensure sleep, a practice they reportedly engaged in regularly.
Adam Canales’ lawyer, Kristopher Mincey, contended that there was a lack of communication between the couple regarding the baby’s medication schedule that day. Local NBC affiliate KCBD noted that the defense argued to the jury that there was significant household activity on the day the child was found unresponsive.
On July 11, 2011, as reported by the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, deputies reached the Canales’ residence shortly after 4:00 p.m. to discover the baby “not breathing.” An ambulance had already been requested. Adam Canales, who was caring for his daughter while his wife was absent, informed deputies that he had “fed and swaddled the baby” three hours prior and placed her in a rocker before napping on the couch.
When he woke up, she was not breathing. Deputies found the baby dead when they arrived.
Adam Canales now faces sentencing by a jury. Sarah Canales was also charged with manslaughter and her trial is pending.
