A babysitter in Hawaii has been found guilty of manslaughter following the overdose death of 7-month-old Abigail Lobisch, who died under her care in February 2019. The babysitter, Dixie Villa, was caring for Abigail, her older brother, and her own two children at the time of the incident.
An autopsy revealed that Abigail had a lethal dose of diphenhydramine, an active ingredient in Benadryl, in her system. Villa was initially charged in July 2019 and later taken into custody when her bail was increased to $500,000 (P29.3 million).
Deputy prosecutor Tiffany Kaeo expressed, “A child is gone and there’s no bringing her back, but we hope that this offers closure and peace to everybody who’s been affected by this case,” according to KITV.
Villa’s defense attorney, Megan Kau, announced plans to file for a mistrial. She cited the deputy prosecutor’s mention of new evidence suggesting the infant’s mother, Anna Lobisch, co-slept with Abigail. Kau argued this detail could point to other possible sources of the fatal dose, including the mother or others in the household. The attorney also suggested that the baby could have ingested the drug through breast milk if Anna Lobisch had taken Tylenol PM, a sleep aid containing diphenhydramine.
Despite these claims, Kaeo emphasized that Villa was solely responsible for administering the drug and noted she was overwhelmed by the demands of looking after four children at once, reportedly pacifying the older ones with iPads and the infant with diphenhydramine.
Villa’s sentencing is set for February 26, 2025, as reported by Hawaii News Now.
