Mother Charged After 2-Year-Old Daughter Dies With Toxic Levels of Benadryl in Her System

A heartbreaking case involving a 2-year-old girl has drawn attention to a custody dispute, a child’s unexplained death, and a criminal investigation that later took a significant turn in court.

In October 2022, Leandra Andrade, a 38-year-old woman from Washington, D.C., faced a second-degree murder charge in connection with the death of her young daughter, Lanoix Andrade, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

According to the Virginia Beach Police Department, investigators pursued the charge after an autopsy reportedly found a toxic level of diphenhydramine in the toddler’s system. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine commonly found in medications such as Benadryl.

A Child Found Dead in a Motel Room

Authorities said Lanoix was found dead at the Cutty Sark Motel in Virginia Beach during the early hours of August 1, 2022. Investigators also found her mother unconscious in the same room.

The discovery came amid an ongoing custody dispute between Andrade and the child’s father, Fabio Andrade Jr. Court proceedings had awarded the father full legal custody, although a temporary shared physical custody arrangement remained in place.

According to the original report by Law&Crime, August 1 was reportedly the day Lanoix was due to be returned to her father.

The medical examiner’s findings became a central part of the investigation, leading authorities to upgrade the case to a second-degree murder charge. Andrade had previously faced a child neglect and abuse charge.

The Father’s Fight for Custody

In a statement shared after his daughter’s death, Fabio Andrade Jr. described his devastation and said he had been working to secure full physical and legal custody of Lanoix.

He explained that a recent court decision had granted him temporary sole legal custody but had not immediately changed the existing physical custody schedule.

The case raised painful questions for the family as investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the toddler’s death and the events leading up to it.

At the time of the original report, authorities were pursuing criminal charges based on their investigation and the medical examiner’s findings. The allegations were not, at that stage, a final judicial determination of guilt.

A Major Development in the Case

The case later reached a significant legal turning point. According to People magazine, a Virginia judge accepted Andrade’s plea of not guilty by reason of insanity on January 14, 2026. The judge also dismissed the second-degree murder charge.

The later reporting stated that a court-ordered forensic evaluation had identified several mental health conditions. The legal outcome therefore differed from the original stage of the investigation, when Andrade had been charged with murder.

A conditional-release hearing was reported as a further step in determining whether Andrade would be committed to a behavioral health facility.

Lanoix’s death remains a deeply painful case for her family. It also illustrates why it is important to distinguish between the allegations made during an investigation and the final outcome reached through the court process.

Sources:

• Original report, Law&Crime
• Follow-up report, People