Fairfield Daycare Owner Makes Plea Deal In Baby's Death: Report

FAIRFIELD, CT — As jury selection was underway Monday, Fairfield’s Carol Cardillo made a plea deal in connection to the death of a 4-month-old Shelton baby from an overdose of Benadryl last year at an unlicensed daycare she operated out of her home, according to the Connecticut Post. Cardillo pleaded no contest to second-degree manslaughter. Cardillo, of Edgewood Road, was arrested by Fairfield Police last September following an investigation into Adam V. Seagull’s death on March 22. She was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor.

Daniel Tepfer of the Post reports that under the plea bargain, Cardillo faces a 10-year sentence, suspended after she serves five years in prison. The judge is going to allow Cardillo’s lawyer to argue for a lesser term when she is sentenced on Jan. 25, according to Tepfer.

Cardillo's arrest came nearly two months after Seagull's death was ruled a homicide.

Seagull, who lived in Shelton, was originally thought to have died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but an autopsy and toxicological tests showed he had high levels of Benadryl in his system. Benadryl should not be administered to children under the age of 2, and should only be administered to children between the age of 2 and 4 years old after consultation with a doctor, police said in a press release announcing the arrest.

Read more about Monday’s court appearance at the Connecticut Post here.

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