Following the tragic death of their 19-month-old daughter, a family is taking legal action against vacation rental company Airbnb.
As reported by The Washington Post, parents Lydie and Boris Lavenir had put their young daughter, Enora, down for a nap after she had spent the morning playing with her four siblings while the family were staying at a lakehouse in Wellington, Florida.
The family getaway took place in August 2021, with the family renting the lake house through Airbnb.
However, what was supposed to be a relaxing and enjoying vacation quickly turned into a living nightmare when mom Lydie attempted to wake up her daughter two hours later.
"Enora’s dead," the panicked mom screamed after finding her 19-month-old daughter with foam streaming from her mouth.
Despite calling 911 immediately, young Enora was pronounced dead shortly after first responders arrived.
An autopsy would reveal that Enora had died after a lethal amount of fentanyl entered the child's system. The family - from the Island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean - told The Washington Post that they had never heard of the drug until they received the results from the Palm Beach County medical examiner. An independent toxicology report confirmed the results, the New York Post reports.
It is still unknown how Enora came into contact with the incredibly dangerous opioid.
The Post reports that investigators were unable to find any trace of the drug in the vacation rental property, and no criminal charges have been made at this time. Both of her parents also tested negative for the drug.
One investigator stated in their report: "I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora. Currently the manner of death is listed as accidental."
Nevertheless, Enora's family have chosen to sue Airbnb, the property's owner and rental manager, and a previous tenant who had reportedly hosted a party at the vacation two weeks before the toddler's tragic death.
The previous renter had booked the lake house through the company Vrbo, and reportedly told investigators that the party did involve cocaine. Reports state that no traces of cocaine were tied to the toddler.
Additionally, the previous renter has reportedly said that they cannot be blamed for the condition the unit was left in and for how it was cleaned following their checkout.
Dad Boris told The Washington Post (translated from French): "It's like we fell into a trap."
Meanwhile, the family's attorney, Thomas Scolaro, has told the Washington Post that he is uninterested in who may have brought the drug into the home, but he firmly believes that the fentanyl "was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb".
"What I want to show is Airbnb provided no cleanup, no warning, no measure of safety for the family," Scolaro added.
The child's father agrees, saying: "What is certain is, Enora had contact with fentanyl in the Airbnb."
At this time, Airbnb has responded to the tragedy with the statement: "Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss."
Per Fox7, data supplied by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids caused a staggering 71,238 deaths in 2021.
Our thoughts are with everybody affected by this tragedy.
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