Babysitter charged with murder after baby dies of Benadryl overdose

REYNOLDSBURG OH (WCMH) – Reynoldsburg Police say a woman has been arrested after allegedly giving an 8-month-old child too much Benadryl, causing his death.

Lori Conley, 43, was arrested Friday and charged with murder and child endangering.

Police say Conley gave the baby the Benadryl to put him to sleep on May 13. Medics were called out Conley’s home on Hammond Drive around 2:20 p.m. that day on report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Franklin County Coroner said Conley gave the 8-month-old a “lethal dose” of Benadryl.

Investigators say Conley was babysitting 8 children at her home at the time. None of the other children in her care were reportedly injured.

The infant’s mother, Katie Mulkey, spoke to the media on Friday.

“I want justice for my baby because this was something that was robbed from me,” she said. “I’ll have to see my baby in a cemetery not in my arms. He is not down the street, but in a cemetery, and going through this is not something any mother should go through.”