A family sued Airbnb after their baby died of a fentanyl overdose. Enora Lavenir, just 19 months old, was vacationing with her family at a Florida home in 2021 when the little girl died suddenly. Her mother, Lydie Lavenir, told The Washington Post that she had put Enora to bed two hours before, after the little girl had spent the morning with her four siblings.
When Lavenir entered the room where her baby was in the Wellington, Fla., home her family had rented in August 2021, she found the little girl with a blue face and white foam on her lips. Seeing her like this, she shouted, "Enora's dead." They tried to call 911 but it was too late.
The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner was initially unable to identify the cause of death of the child. Upon autopsy, both the specialist and an independent toxicology report revealed that a lethal amount of fentanyl was present in the girl's body.
At the time, the family did not know what fentanyl was. They had not heard of it and did not they didn't realize what a threat it is: "It’s like we fell into a trap," Enora's father, Boris, told the newspaper.
Unknown how the baby ingested fentanyl
However, the police have not acknowledged that the little girl died of an overdose. No one knows how the little girl got hold of the pills, although the previous tenant, who, per People magazine, booked the house through the rental company Vrbo, assured investigators that it was all due to a party. He organized a get-together at the house where there was cocaine present, but claims there were no other drugs.
The reason it has not been ruled an overdose is not because investigators could not place the drugs in the home, but because, as they stated in the latest report, they are "unable to determine" how the little girl ingested the drug:
I am currently unable to determine how the child Enora Lavenir ingested the fentanyl. Therefore I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora. Currently the manner of death is listed as accidental.
The family wants answers
Even though the investigation is closed, Lydie and Boris Lavenir want answers and want those responsible for the death of their little girl to pay the consequences. As a result, they reported both Airbnb and the other rental company.
Vrbo declined to comment on the matter. Airbnb, on the other hand, did share a statement with both People magazine and the The Post: "Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss."
The statement did not convince the lawyer representing the family, Thomas Scolaro. He told The Post that they want to find out the source of the drugs, although it is clear where the lethal dose of fentanyl ended up:
It was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb. Which particular person left the drugs is frankly not anything I’m trying to prove. What I want to show is Airbnb provided no cleanup, no warning, no measure of safety for the family.
