Grandmother of 15 Charged in Baby Grandson’s Death After Bottles Test Positive for Powerful Antihistamine: Deputies 

A Florida grandmother was charged with manslaughter after her 11-month-old grandson fatally overdosed on prescription-strength cough syrup last year. 

Tibina Louissant, 53, was arrested by Broward County Sheriff's Office detectives on Oct. 13, more than a year after her grandson, Josiah Fenelus, died while in her care. Josiah died Aug. 21, 2022, after he ingested a lethal amount of cyproheptadine, a powerful antihistamine, the sheriff’s office said. 

Emergency crews rushed to a residence in Oakland Park around 9:30 a.m. Aug. 21 after receiving a 911 call about an unresponsive child. There, they discovered Josiah, who was pronounced dead at Broward Health Medical Center. 

Toxicology tests performed over the summer revealed that two baby bottles from Louissant’s home tested positive for cyproheptadine. Louissant was the only person who made Josiah’s bottles while he was in her care, authorities said. Cyproheptadine isn’t approved for children under 2 years old. 

The baby had no medical issues before his death, the sheriff’s office said. 

An Aug. 14 autopsy confirmed Josiah’s death was a homicide and caused by a cyproheptadine overdose. He also had brain swelling and a small hemorrhage on the scalp, meaning he was bleeding between his scalp and skull, WTVJ reported. 

Louissant, who WTVJ reports is the grandmother of 15 children, was booked at a Broward County jail and released Saturday on a $50,000 bond. She agreed to have no unsupervised contact with any minors, Law and Crime reported.