A Hawaii woman was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for killing a 7-month-old girl in 2019.
Dixie Villa, 46, administered a lethal dose of diphenhydramine to Abigail Lobisch, which is the active ingredient in Benadryl. According to KKTV, Villa was providing overnight care for the toddler at the Aliamanu Military Reservation in Oahu.
Reports have shown that Lobisch’s blood contained twice the lethal concentration of Benadryl when she passed away. The Honolulu medical examiner attributed Lobisch’s death to “diphenhydramine toxicity,” emphasizing that children under six should not receive the drug without doctor approval.
According to the Star Advertiser, Villa operated an unlicensed daycare from her home. Lobisch’s mother had left her daughter and her 2-year-old son with Villa at a Disney resort and spa in Ko Olina. Villa’s two children, along with the siblings, reportedly spent the day at the pool before taking all the children to her residence in the afternoon.
Villa reportedly treated the children for sunburns and fed them before putting them to bed at 10 p.m. She told police that Lobisch didn’t wake up through the night, which she thought was odd but attributed it to being in the sun all day. It wasn’t until 8 a.m. the next day that she saw Lobisch lying facedown, and her skin appeared “splotchy” and “cold to the touch.”
The Star Advertiser reported that Lobisch was sleeping in bed with Villa and her two children. Rigor mortis had set in by the time she was discovered.
An initial report stated that Lobisch had nearly twice the fatal dose of Benadryl in blood in her heart — or 2400 ng/mL. The fatal dose for infants is 1400 ng/mL. Children younger than six should not take the drug without a physician’s approval. A subsequent autopsy report clarified that she had more 5,000 ng/mL in a tested urine specimen, suggesting some of the antihistamine medication had already passed through her system. The document also described the infant as well-developed and well-nourished.
Villa was convicted of manslaughter and given the maximum sentence of 20 years. A parole board will decide how long she will have to serve before she is eligible for parole.
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