Daycare owner is charged with manslaughter after a six-month-old girl died when she was given a fatal overdose of Benadryl just hours after her parents dropped her off and she seemed 'healthy'

  • Six-month-old Harper Rose Briar died from diphenhydramine intoxication
  • Police determined that she had been given a large dose of the allergy medicine by her daycare provider
  • The coroner noted that children under six should not be given the drug without a doctor's authorization 
  • Harper's parents said that she was healthy when dropped off and that they were never asked about giving her Benedryl  
  • Harper's grandparents said her death 'could have been prevented'

The grandparents of a Vermont baby who died after being given a deadly dose of Benadryl at a daycare center are speaking out about the dangers of dosing infants with allergy medicine without a doctor's permission.  

An autopsy determined that healthy six-month-old Harper Rose Briar of Pittsford, Vermont, died in January after she was given a lethal dose of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in allergy medicines such as Benadryl.  

Harper 'had high doses of Benadryl In her system – that’s basically what killed her,' the child's grandfather, Larry Briar of Matthews, North Carolina, told NBC Charlotte

Six-month-old Harper Rose Briar's grandparents, Jennifer and Larry Briar (pictured), are warning against giving Benedryl to young children without a doctor's permission

Six-month-old Harper Rose Briar's grandparents, Jennifer and Larry Briar (pictured), are warning against giving Benedryl to young children without a doctor's permission

Harper died in January after being given a lethal dose of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benedryl, when she was in daycare

Harper died in January after being given a lethal dose of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benedryl, when she was in daycare

The medical examiner's office noted that children under the age of six shouldn't be given diphenhydramine unless a doctor had prescribed the antihistamine medication. 

Investigators found that there was no physician's order for diphenhydramine to be given to Harper, leading to daycare provider Stacey Vaillancourt, 53, of Rutland, Vermont, being charged with manslaughter and cruelty to a child shortly after the coroner's report was released in March. 

Daycare provider Stacey Vaillancourt, 53, was charged with manslaughter and cruelty to a child. She was released on $25,000 unsecured bail

Daycare provider Stacey Vaillancourt, 53, was charged with manslaughter and cruelty to a child. She was released on $25,000 unsecured bail

Vaillancourt was then released on $25,000 unsecured bail. 

Harper's grandparents said they continue to be upset with the judge's decision to release Vaillancourt on bail.  

'This was senseless. This was laziness. This was all something that could have been prevented,' Harper's grandmother, Jennifer Briar, said. She also noted that 'if you're a daycare provider you should have the basic awareness that that's not ok' to give an infant Benadryl. 

Larry said that he remembers the January day when 'My son called me hysterical,' telling him that the baby wasn't breathing.  

'Just the pain in his voice will always be with me,' Jennifer added.  

Harper's parents, Blake Briar and Marissa Colburn, said that their baby was healthy the morning Blake dropped her off at the state-certified, in-home Vermont daycare center.

They said that they were never asked for permission to give the allergy medication to their child and they never told Vaillancourt to give it to her, according to News 10

The day Harper died, Colburn, who had just returned to full-time school, said she was just leaving the campus to go pick up Harper when she got a text message from Vaillancourt. 

'She said: "Baby sick. Ambulance here. Go to hospital,"' Colburn recalled.  

Harper's parents, Marissa Colburn and Blake Briar (pictured), said she was healthy when she was dropped off at daycare that morning

Harper's parents, Marissa Colburn and Blake Briar (pictured), said she was healthy when she was dropped off at daycare that morning 

Marissa and Blake (pictured) said that they were never asked if Harper should be given diphenhydramine and never told the daycare provider to give their daughter the medication

Marissa and Blake (pictured) said that they were never asked if Harper should be given diphenhydramine and never told the daycare provider to give their daughter the medication

The coroner determined that Harper died of diphenhydramine intoxication
Harper's death was ruled a homicide in March

The coroner determined that Harper (pictured) died of diphenhydramine intoxication and her death was ruled a homicide in March 

It turned out that Harper had been found unresponsive at the daycare center and taken to the hospital where she was declared dead. 

Her cause of death was later determined to be diphenhydramine intoxication and her manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to Vermont State Police, which noted that diphenhydramine is the active, sedating ingredient in over-the-counter antihistamines. 

During Vaillancourt's arraignment, Rutland County State’s Attorney Rosemary Kennedy said she had 'sedated an otherwise beautiful, happy, healthy' infant to the point where the child could not lift up her own head, according to the New York Post.  

Colburn told News 10 that Vaillancourt, the only person taking care of Harper at the time, didn't go to the hospital or contact the couple to find out how the baby was doing.

Colburn said in March that she, her husband and their relatives are advocating for 'Harper's Law,' which would call for stricter penalties for in-home daycare centers and mandatory surveillance camera installation. 

'When you have a child that can’t talk or stand up for themselves, you don’t know what’s going on and the person you think you can trust, they could be doing something you don’t know about,' Colburn said. 

Friends of Harper's relatives have set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for Harper's funeral costs and 'the legal process of getting justice for Harper Rose.'

'Baby Harper brought so much light into this world,' organizer Stacey Greeno Pearsons wrote, adding that Harper's 'smile lit up the room. She had everyone who knew her wrapped around her finger.'

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