SC child who died had enough Benadryl in his system to kill an adult man, investigators say
By Stephanie Moore
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SPARTANBURG COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — A South Carolina couple is charged after a child died who had enough Benadryl in his system to kill an adult male, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
“The victim, who was 6 years old and weighed 45 pounds, had enough Benadryl in his system to kill an adult male,” a release from the sheriff’s office said.
The investigation started in October of last year.
Deputies said they were called to a home in Greer about an unresponsive child.
Initially, the victim’s caregivers told EMS and law enforcement that the child fell out of a recliner, hit his head on a hard floor, and suffered a seizure, the sheriff’s office said.
The child was taken to the hospital, where he died, deputies say.
A search warrant was conducted at the incident location, which authorities said revealed the victim was living in filthy conditions.
They said they also learned that previous child abuse referrals had been made to the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
At the victim’s autopsy, deputies said the child had bruises in various stages of healing which were documented, photographed, and collected along with other evidence.
The toxicology results revealed that the victim died from an overdose of Benadryl.
Investigators said that during separate interviews, the caregivers admitted that Sarah Elizabeth Stewart, 32, gave the victim Benadryl because he was hyperactive.
Stewart, 32, is charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child.
Christopher Allen Stewart, 48, is charged with unlawful neglect of a child.
Both suspects were located in Abbeville County Thursday, taken back to Spartanburg, and booked into the detention facility.
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