A New York woman was arrested for allegedly feeding her ten-year-old son a deadly dose of Benadryl to deal with his ‘behavioral issues.’
Rebecca Jordan, 41, was arrested on Wednesday after her son, Eddie, overdosed on diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine commonly found in Bendaryl, on January 19 at the D and R Village Community Mobile Home Park in Halfmoon.
Deputies from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office responded to an unattended-death call on the January morning at around 9.40am.
Investigators alleged Jordan hid the bottle of diphenhydramine ‘with intent to prevent it from being used in an official proceeding,’ the Sheriff’s office stated.
The boy’s mother was charged with manslaughter in the 2nd degree, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a child.
According to the sheriff’s office, Jordan ‘recklessly’ caused Eddie’s death by ‘providing him with an excessive amount of diphenhydramine resulting in intoxication by that drug with aspiration of gastric contents and probably restriction of normal ventilation.’
Saratoga County District Attorney Brett Eby told NewsChannel 13: ‘It’s an absolute tragedy. It’s not something that we see regularly. The toxicology reports and investigation yielded something that is unseen to most prosecutors and law enforcement personnel.’
‘The amount and the dosage here is far beyond what is even – what a reasonable juror would expect is appropriate for a parent in this situation,’ Eby added.
Rebecca Jordan, 41, was arrested on Wednesday after her son overdosed on diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine commonly found in Benadryl, on January 19
Eddie was described on his obituary as ‘a very sweet young man’ with a mischievous personality and a love for animals, barbequing, cooking and building with his dad
According to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Jordan ‘recklessly’ caused Eddie’s death by ‘providing him with an excessive amount of diphenhydramine’
Deputies from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office responded to an unattended-death call at the D and R Village Community Mobile Home Park in Halfmoon, seen above, at around 9.40am
Jordan’s arrest came after a month-long probe. Investigators alleged she hid the bottle of diphenhydramine ‘with intent to prevent it from being used in an official proceeding’
A mild overdose for an adult can result from taking less than 300mg, which can present as tachycardia, dry mucous membranes, dilated pupils, hypoactive bowel sounds, and urinary retention, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine.
A dose exceeding 1g can lead to seizures, delirium, psychosis, coma and death, the study said. Benadryl allergy tablets range from 25mg to 50mg of diphenhydramine HCI per tablet.
‘I think it was an effort to parent and deal with, in a neglectful way, obviously, but to administer and to try to deal with some sort of perceived behavioral issues,’ Eby told NewsChannel 13.
Saratoga County Sheriff Jeffrey Brown told WTEN that the dosage given to Eddie was enough to kill an adult, and that investigators believe Jordan administered the drug to make the child sleep.
‘Child death cases are among the most tragic that we handle and I am extremely proud of the true professionals that worked this case,’ Brown said in the release.
‘We will always be a deafening voice for those who cannot speak for themselves, and I look forward to justice being served for this innocent boy.’
Eddie was described in his obituary as ‘a very sweet young man’ with a mischievous personality and a love for animals, barbequing, cooking and building with his dad.
Jordan was arraigned in the Malta Town Court and held in the custody of the Saratoga County Jail while awaiting trial.
The Daily Mail reached out to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
