Police say some daycare workers are slipping kids drugs to put them to sleep, but even seemingly harmless over-the-counter medication can be lethal to children.
Police say some daycare workers are slipping drugs to kids, such as Benadryl, to put them to sleep, and in some cases, this act has turned deadly.
Security cameras in one daycare captured an employee pouring pills into her hand before grabbing a gallon of milk to prepare lunch. According to police, the employee spiked each baby bottle with Benadryl, a sleep-inducing antihistamine.
Authorities say that was not the only time. A week later, the employee appeared to do it again, slipping something inside of another bottle before handing it to a baby.
No children became ill and the employee was never charged, but Inside Edition found daycare workers across the country who have been criminally accused of dosing children with antihistamines and sleep-aid supplements.
Police say some daycare workers are slipping kids drugs to put them to sleep, but even seemingly harmless over-the-counter medication can be lethal to children.
Marissa Briar says she and her husband were in “baby bliss” with their firstborn, Harper Rose. But during the infant’s third day at a daycare in Rutland, Vermont, her parents' world shattered after they received a single text message.
“‘Baby is sick. Ambulance here. Go to hospital.’ My heart sank,” Briar says.
An autopsy report revealed Harper Rose was given a lethal dose of an allergy medication not meant for babies.
“This world is so cruel. That’s all I could think was like how could somebody do that to someone else’s baby,” Briar says. “Soul shattering.”
Prosecutors charged the daycare owner, Stacy Vaillancourt, with manslaughter and child cruelty. Vaillancourt has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Harper Rose is not the only child that Vaillancourt is accused of drugging inside her daycare, which has since been shut down.
Melanie McAtee says she trusted Vaillancourt to look after her 8-month-old son, Martin. But after hearing about what happened to Harper Rose, McAtee had a certified lab test Martin’s hair for the same drug.
Martin’s lab tests came back positive for Diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.
“I was shocked. I felt like a failure of a mother,” McAtee tells Inside Edition.
Looking back, McAtee says she’s grateful that Martin is alive today and didn’t have a deadly reaction like baby Harper.
Vaillancourt was not criminally charged in McAtee’s case. McAtee sued Vaillancourt, and the case was reportedly settled.
Vaillancourt is still awaiting trial more than four years after Harper Rose’s death.
When Inside Edition’s Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero tried to speak with Vaillancourt, she did not respond to her questions.
“I just wanted accountability and for people to know that this can happen at any time to anyone,” Briar says.
