Family Sues Airbnb, Property Owner After Toddler Dies of Fentanyl Overdose on Vacation
A devastated family is suing Airbnb after their 19-month-old daughter died from a fentanyl overdose at a home they had rented while vacationing in Florida.
The family had put their toddler, Enora, down for a nap after spending a joyous morning playing with her four siblings at a lake house in a lake house in Wellington in August 2021.
When her Mom walked into her daughter's bedroom two hours later to wake her up, she was horrified to find Enora's face blue, with foam streaming from her mouth, according to The Washington Post.
"Enora's dead," Lydie screamed. The panicked family immediately called 911, but it was already too late when responders arrived.
An autopsy revealed a lethal amount of fentanyl in Enora's system. Still, the Lavenirs' who are from the French Island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, had never even heard of the drug before, according to The Washington Post.
It's still a mystery how the girl came into contact with the killer opioid — which can be fatal in the smallest of doses and has caused a national crisis and tens of thousands of death.
The authorities never found traces of fentanyl at the rental home, and investigators suspected that Enora's parents could be responsible, the Lavenirs told the newspaper. But the couple tested negative for the drug, and no traces were found on any of their belongings, according to police reports.
The previous home renters admitted to throwing a party with cocaine present, but nothing that indicated those drugs killed Enora.
Moms Justice
Neighbors recalled that there was a party about two weeks before the family's arrival, investigators said.
"I am currently unable to determine how the child Enora Lavenir ingested the fentanyl," an investigator wrote in the latest report, according to WaPo. The girl's manner of death has been deemed accidental.
While police have not filed any criminal charges, Enora's family is suing Airbnb, the property owner, the rental manager, and the previous renter who hosted the party. The suit claims fentanyl was ingested at the party, and the paper reported that the home was never properly cleaned 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."
Airbnb still needs to file a response to the lawsuit. However, in a statement to The Post, the company said: its "hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss."
Both the homeowner and the previous renter blamed Enora's parents in their responses in court.
The renter, who booked through Vrbo, claimed he could not be held responsible for what happened in the house after he left — including whether or not it was cleaned.
