Father charged with murder in Benadryl overdose death of 5-month-old, police say
LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) – A father has been charged with murder in the overdose death of his 5-month-old son, according to police.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Enrique Escobar was arrested Aug. 30 following the April 7 death of his son.
The day of the boy’s death, first responders were called to a residence about a baby not breathing. The baby boy was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The child’s mother said she works during the day while Escobar stays home with the children. Escobar was taking care of their 5-month-old son and 2-year-old daughter at the time. The mother said Escobar called her and said the baby wasn’t breathing, and she called 911.
Escobar told police he was up all night playing video games and went to sleep after the mother went to work, the arrest report said.
Once the mother left for work, Escobar told police he smoked two bowls of marijuana, gave the baby a bottle and then laid him in bed on his stomach, the report said.
The baby reportedly fell asleep around 12 p.m., and Escobar noticed the baby wasn’t awake around 4 p.m. and was in the same position. Escobar told police he realized the baby wasn’t breathing, the report said.
Both parents said the child was healthy prior to his death, police said in the report.
According to the coroner’s toxicology report, generic Benadryl was found in the baby’s system. Police said a bottle of the medication was found in the house, but it was out of reach of the child and the baby wouldn’t have been able to crawl to get it.
Both parents denied giving the baby the Benadryl, the arrest report said.
According to police, Benadryl is not prescribed to children before the age of 4. The mother said she bought the Benadryl for Escobar for his allergies, the arrest report said. Escobar denied ever giving the baby the medication.
Escobar is being held without bail, according to court records.
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