Babysitter charged with negligent homicide after two-month-old girl dies from Benadryl overdose
A North Texas woman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide after a two-month-old baby girl who she was babysitting died of Benadryl overdose. In late May, Adonna Cheree Townsend babysat Emma Nicole Cox-Jenkins, a two-month-old girl whose mother, Kayla Cox, went out of town over a weekend. Adonna was also Kayla's roommate. On May 23, the officers of Keene Police Department responded to a call about a baby who had stopped breathing. The police stated that when they arrived at the house they found that the baby showed no signs of life. Despite this, the officers tried their best as they performed “life-saving measures” until paramedics arrived. The baby was pronounced dead when they reached the hospital.
Keene police said they observed “no signs of additional trauma to the child," as reported by Breitbart News. The child's body was sent for a postmortem. After the reports came, the medical examiner ruled the infant’s death a homicide after finding “the presence of diphenhydramine,” an antihistamine, in the baby’s system, which is commonly known as Benadryl. Benadryl is usually used to treat hay fever, cold symptoms, allergies, and insomnia.
Keene Police Chief Emmitt Jackson said that the death was ruled as a homicide due to the ingestion of a sleep aid. He further added that when Adonna was questioned by the authorities, she admitted to "administering the sleep aid.” As per the dosing guide for the medicine, it has been mentioned that the product is not for children under six years of age.
The police statement said that “As a result of this interview, and in consultation with the Johnson County District Attorney, the Keene Police Department issued a warrant for Townsend’s arrest on the charge of criminally negligent homicide." Grand Prairie police arrested Adonna on Tuesday (August 14). She was booked at the Tarrant County Corrections Center in Fort Worth. Meanwhile, the death of her precious daughter has left Kayla hurt as she said that she regrets leaving her daughter that weekend.
In an interview with KXAS-TV (NBC5), Kayla stated that the last time she saw her daughter alive was when she kissed her goodbye before going away for the weekend. Now, she carries the ashes of her daughter in a heart-shaped box. Ever since the death of Emma, Kayla has been sharing her pictures on Facebook in her memory. Billy Jenkins, the baby’s father stated: “Nobody should have to go through this.” He recalled the day Emma was born. “I remember bringing her home. It was one of the greatest days of my life but like that, it was over, just as quick as it began.”