A family whose toddler died of fentanyl poisoning while staying at an Airbnb in Florida has sued the company for wrongful death, according to a report.
Lydie and Boris Lavenir told The Washington Post that they were vacationing in Wellington, Florida, with their children in August 2021 when they found their 19-month old daughter Enora in her bed just hours after their arrival.
The couple told the outlet that her face was blue with white foam coming from her lips and that when paramedics arrived after calling 911 it was too late to save the child.
Her death was deemed to be the result of exposure to fentanyl according to reports by the Palm Beach County medical examiner and an independent toxicology report.
The drug has posed a dangerous threat to people, especially in the US, where the federal government has counted more accidental overdose deaths in 2021 alone than it did in the 20-year period from 1979 through 1998, even as dangerous misinformation about it has continued to circulate.
“It’s like we fell into a trap,” Mr Lavenir was quoted as saying.
Investigators were unable to conclude how the child got hold of the drug.
No drugs were found in the couple’s belongings and the parents had tested negative for drugs.
A previous renter of the property who had booked through Vrbo told investigators they threw a party at the home that involved cocaine, but said there was no fentanyl.
The drugs were not tied to the child, according to the Post report.
The family is suing Airbnb, the property owner, the rental’s manager, and the renter who had hosted the party.
Eventually, investigators wrote they were “unable to determine” how she ingested the drug.
“I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora,” one investigator noted.
“Currently the manner of death is listed as accidental.”
The family has sued Airbnb for not cleaning the property after the previous renter’s party.
“What is certain is, Enora had contact with fentanyl in the Airbnb,” the child’s father was quoted as saying.
Thomas Scolaro, the attorney representing the family, said the priority now is finding the source of the drugs.
“It was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb,” he added. “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.”
“Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for this devastating loss,” Airbnb said in a statement to Fox Business.
At the time of Ms Lavenir’s booking this was a brand new listing, and it was the first time the property had ever been booked via the company, according to reports. The family were the first ever Airbnb guests to stay in this property.
Apart from the allegation in this complaint, Airbnb had not previously received any reports of parties at this property, and at the time of writing this had not been served with the lawsuit.
