A Texas man was found guilty of manslaughter after admitting to repeatedly giving his 2-month-old daughter Benadryl to put her to sleep. The final dose killed her.
Adam Canales, 33, and his wife, Sarah Canales, 25, were arrested in January 2022, months after their 2-month-old daughter died from “mixed drug toxicity,” according to an autopsy report.
According to Law&Crime, Adam Canales admitted to police that he gave Benadryl to his infant daughter despite knowing that “he knows you aren’t supposed to give Benadryl to infants and that it makes you go to sleep.”
During the trial, Lubbock County District Attorney Sunshine Stanek stated that Adam Canales wanted his daughter to fall asleep so that he could spend “quality time” with his wife.
According to court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KLBK, both parents admitted to administering various medications to the baby, including Benadryl, ZzzQuil, and dextromethorphan, a children’s multi-symptom cold medicine. Stanek told the court that to get their baby to sleep, “[t]hey dosed her,” which they allegedly did on a regular basis.
Kristopher Mincey, Adam Canales’ defense attorney, contended that the couple had not communicated that day about who was giving the baby medications and when.
According to local NBC affiliate KCBD, the defense told the jury that there was “a lot going on in the home at the time” when the baby was found unresponsive.
More from Law&Crime: ‘It Makes You Go To Sleep’: Parents Face Manslaughter Charges After Allegedly Giving Benadryl and Other Drugs to 2-Month-Old Girl.
According to the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, on July 11, 2011, deputies arrived at the Canales’ home shortly after 4:00 p.m. and discovered the baby “not breathing.” An ambulance had already been called.
Adam Canales was looking after his daughter while his wife was away. He told deputies that three hours earlier, he “fed and swaddled the baby” and placed her in a rocker while he slept on the couch.
When he awoke, she wasn’t breathing. When deputies arrived, they discovered that the baby had died.
A jury will now decide on Adam Canales’ sentence. Sarah Canales was also charged with manslaughter, and her trial is ongoing.
