A Fairfield woman who was charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a 4-month-old baby at her unlicensed daycare in March 2016 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after 30 months, and five years of probation.
Carol Cardillo was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a child. She pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
She was arrested more than five months after police responded to 63 Edgewood Road, where police say Cardillo lived and operated an unlicensed daycare, to investigate the report of an unresponsive infant.
The baby was transported from the daycare and pronounced dead at St. Vincent's Medical Center and the office of the chief medical examiner determined that the baby died of acute diphenhydramine intoxication.
At the sentencing, the child's parents spoke.
“First I would ask why? If you really couldn’t handle my child in that instance, all you had to do was call," said Michelle Seagull, the victim's mother.
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“Every day, I am reminded that Adam should be with us and that his death was 100 percent preventable. I struggle every day to battle my anger at the unfairness of life and my disgust of Carol’s actions," Matthew Seagull, the victim's father, said.
Cardillo also addressed the court.
“I want the court to know that I am very sad that this happened to a beautiful little boy. He was a beautiful little boy. While I realize this incident has caused great havoc in Adam’s family… it has also caused great havoc in my family," she said.
Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine drug that should not be administered to children under the age of 2 years old, police said.
