Bendadryl, Babysitter, and Breastmilk: What Happened to Baby Abi Lobisch?

Dixie Denise Villa ran an unlicensed daycare on base in Hawaii. She had several children of her own and would often help other families with their kids because of a lack of childcare. 

In 2019, Anna Lobisch begged Dixie to watch her 7-month-old baby, Abi, because Anna needed to study for some classes and had other appointments. Despite having her hands full with her own children and some teenagers, Dixie agreed.

Tragically, Abi was found dead the following morning at Villa’s house and an autopsy found the baby died from an overdose of antihistamine, like Benadryl. 

Dixie denied ever giving the baby any Benadryl and evidence showed with a house full of people anyone could have given it to the child including her own mother, Anna, who had taken the medication as a sleep aid, and it was likely in her breast milk that she gave to Dixie to feed her child.

Authorities charged the overwhelmed and unlicensed daycare operator with manslaughter, and Dixie faces up to 20 years in prison for Abi’s death, even though it has since come out that Anna lied, a lot. 

She was actually meeting another man for an adulterous tryst when she asked Dixie to keep Abi, and she told police she was allergic to antihistamines even though it turned out she was taking  the medication to help her sleep. 

Police never searched the mother’s house or tested her breast milk, insisting that Dixie was to blame. Her trial has been rescheduled 13 times. 

If she had lived, Baby Abi would be six years old and if nothing else, it’s a cautionary tale that just because medications are over the counter doesn’t mean they’re necessarily safe for children and it’s good to consult with a doctor or a pharmacist.

Join us for more on this mysterious overdose death in the next episode of the Gulf Coast Confidential podcast, “Bendadryl, Babysitter, and Breastmilk: What Happened to Baby Abi Lobisch?”