The parents of a 19-month-old baby girl are suing Airbnb after the family stayed at the rental in 2021, and their child died from apparent exposure to fentanyl.
According to recent reporting from the Washington Post, Enora Lavenir‘s family has decided to take legal action against the company, property owner, rental manager, and a renter who hosted a party in the unit where Enora tragically lost her life. The lawsuit seeks to hold all parties accountable for their roles leading up to the incident that resulted in the young girl’s death in Wellington, Florida.
The WP reports that investigators could not find evidence of the drug in the rental, and no criminal charges have been brought.
In August 2021, Enora was discovered dead in the rental home by her mother, Lydie. As the family remembered, her face had turned blue with white foam coming from her lips. Her body was taken to the Palm Beach medical examiner, who administered an independent toxicology report. The findings were clear. Enora’s death was caused by a lethal amount of fentanyl.
“It’s like we fell into a trap,” Boris, Enora’s father, told the WP in French.
In addition to searching the rental property, investigators also searched the family’s belongings but could not find any drugs. Further, Enora’s bottle, her medical history, and her body were scoured for clues. Nobody knows how the toddler got her hands on the fatal drugs.
Authorities looked into previous home renters and uncovered that a party had been thrown there prior to Enora’s family. But, they were still “unable to determine” how she swallowed the fentanyl.
“I am unable to develop probable cause for abuse or neglect leading to the death of Enora,” an investigator said. “Currently, the manner of death is listed as accidental.”
Despite the case being closed, pending further leads, Enora Lavenir’s family is taking legal action against Airbnb and those responsible for managing the rental. The family alleges that a lethal drug was left behind after a party in the house prior to their stay, and it was not correctly detected or removed by the rental company. Their lawsuit seeks to hold Airbnb and other parties accountable for their alleged negligence in ensuring the safety of their guests.
When contacted about the incident, Airbnb did not comment, but they pointed to a quote given to the WP: “Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss.”
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Thomas Scolaro, an attorney for the family, stressed that finding the source of the fentanyl is a top priority. He also explained that the “only thing we have here is common sense.”
“It was definitely in that unit, that Airbnb,” Scolaro 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.”
“What is certain is, Enora had contact with fentanyl in the Airbnb,” Boris said.