Little girl dies of fentanyl poisoning in Airbnb house, drugs left over from previous occupants' party

Parents of 19-month-old baby who died after exposure to fentanyl believed to be Airbnb property in Florida are suing rental company over toddler's death, reports Yahoo News.

Photo: IStock

Enora Lavenier died on August 7, 2021 while her family was staying in a rented house in Wellington, Florida on a visit from France, the family said in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Court.

The toddler died from acute fentanyl poisoning, and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner ruled it was accidental.

However, it is unclear how the child ingested fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, or where it came from.

On the subject: US drug overdose deaths hit record highs: many did not even know they were taking fentanyl

The lawsuit alleges that while the apartment was advertised as a "peaceful place to stay" on the Airbnb listing, it has been used as a party house in the past. According to the complaint, a few days before the French family's arrival, someone threw a party at which drugs were used.

According to a lawsuit that accuses Airbnb, the owner of the rental property, the property manager and a previous guest of negligence in the death of a child, Enora was exposed to leftover fentanyl left in the rental apartment.

How did Enora die?

Enora's mother, Lydie Lavenier, has booked a four-bedroom, two-bath lake house in an affluent residential area from Aug. 6 to 9, 2021 for a family vacation for herself, her husband, and their five children, the lawsuit says.

The family checked into the rented property on 6 August. Enora played and relaxed with her siblings, and the next morning took a nap with her older sister in one of the beds at home.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed in December, Lydie Lavenier went to check on the baby and "found her unresponsive and foaming at the mouth."

She gave the baby a chest compression. The family called 911. Enora was taken to HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Enora's father, Boris, recalled how horrified he was when he heard his wife's screams.

“Then I heard, ‘Enora is dead! Enora is dead,” he said.

A forensic report revealed that Enora had "lethal levels of fentanyl" in her blood, a drug her parents said they had never heard of before her death.

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More than 2020 people in the United States died from overdoses of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, in 56, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of deaths from overdoses of such drugs in that year was more than 000 times higher than in 18.

After months of investigation, it is unclear where the fentanyl that killed Enora came from.

"There was no sign of any narcotics or any illegal drugs at the crime scene, and her death was ruled an accident," the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Enora's case is currently closed pending viable leads, according to the sheriff's office. The medical examiner's report states that the parents tested negative for drugs and Enora's infant formula also tested negative.

A resident of the area reported that there was a "big party" at the scene two nights before the Lavenier family arrived.

Family accuses Airbnb of 'negligence'

The lawsuit alleges that Airbnb failed to secure the home for the Lavenir family. While Airbnb says partying and drug use are prohibited in their rental policies, the company did not warn of the risks and did not properly sanitize the premises, according to the lawsuit.

“In fact, the premises in question were used as a party house, and just a few days before that, a group of about a dozen adults had lived in it, who used cocaine and other drugs, including, but not limited to, fentanyl throughout the house,” reads the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges that Airbnb's cleaning procedures are "inadequate to decontaminate property and eliminate risk" of drugs or drug residues. According to the lawsuit, Airbnb was required to take reasonable care of the safety of its guests and provide rentals free of drugs and drug residues from previous guests, as well as provide sufficient warning of the risk of harm.

An Airbnb spokesperson offered condolences to Enora's family in a brief statement that did not mention the lawsuit.

"Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones on their terrible loss," a spokesperson said.

The Lavenier family booked a property through Airbnb for the first time.

The complaint also alleges negligence of rental property owner Ronald M. Kortamilia and his manager, Julia A. Timpi, who oversaw the booking, as well as previous guest Aaron Kornhauser, who booked the space through a vacation rental.

The lawsuit alleges that a few days before the Lavenir family registration date, Aaron Kornhauser traveled to Palm Beach County for a concert. He rented the property from July 30 to August 1, 2021 for six adults. However, according to the complaint, Kornhauser remained there with 11 other adults. The lawsuit alleges that he brought, or permitted others to bring, "illicit drugs" including cocaine, fentanyl and marijuana, which were consumed throughout the premises, including bedrooms and the kitchen counter.

The incident report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office indicated that investigators questioned Kornhauser, who said the people in the house used cocaine and marijuana, but not fentanyl. He told authorities that he could not explain how the fentanyl got into the house.

In response to the complaint, Kornhauser's attorney stated that "the negligence of the deceased's parents was the sole or direct cause of the alleged injuries and losses." Counsel argued that the damages in the complaint were due to the negligence of other parties whom Kornhauser had no control over and for whom he could not be held responsible, including the co-defendants and anyone present at the property, such as cleaners or subsequent tenants.

A lawyer for Kortamilia, the owner of the property, also placed the blame on the parents, stating that "the negligence and negligence of the parents of the deceased was the sole or proximate cause of the alleged damage."

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Authorities tried to talk to previous tenants and talk to neighbors, but were ultimately unable to determine how Enora ingested the fentanyl and where the drug came from, according to an incident report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Lawyer for the Lavenier family, Thomas Scolaro, said the family remains "devastated" after the loss of their daughter and hopes to draw attention to the dangers of fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is incredibly dangerous. We are only talking about a couple of grains the size of salt, which can lead to this level of toxicity for a 19-month-old baby, ”he said.

“I’m not surprised the sheriff’s office didn’t find a large supply of fentanyl in the apartment,” Scolaro added. “But there is no other conceivable place where this child could have been exposed to this fentanyl other than in this rental house.”

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