CINCINNATI — A 27-year-old woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after police said she caused the death of her 3-year-old son.
Officers responded to the 800 block of Ridgeway Avenue in Avondale just after midnight Thursday for an unresponsive child. The child was taken to Cincinnati Children's, where he was later pronounced dead.
Molly Krebs appeared in court Friday morning for her arraignment and was visibly emotional throughout the court proceedings. She is being held in jail on $750,000 bond for charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangering.
In court, Krebs' attorney explained how she gave her 3-year-old a Benadryl and walked away from him while he was in the bathtub, and she fell asleep after being at work all day.
"You can see her devastation," the attorney said as Krebs cried next to him.
According to an affidavit, the child was given the medicine and left in the bathtub "for a long period of time" after he suffered an allergic reaction. When she checked on him, the boy was "laying, partially submerged and unresponsive."
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, diphenhydramine — the active ingredient in drugs like Benadryl — is used for allergic reactions, hives and allergies that affect the nose, but the group says there may be safer medicines for young children.
Diphenhydramine can cause side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, muscle weakness and more, according to the National Library of Medicine.
The AAP recommends that parents do not give Benadryl to children six and under unless the child's pediatrician says to. The group recommends medicines like loratadine (Children's Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec) and fexofenadine (Allegra) that are safer for young children and don't make them as drowsy.
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