South Carolina Mom Gave Boy, 6, Enough Benadryl to Kill a Grown Man ‘Because He Was Hyperactive’: Deputies

A South Carolina foster mom accused of giving a 6-year-old foster child enough Benadryl to kill a grown man allegedly told investigators she administered a lethal dose of the antihistamine “because he was hyperactive.”

Sarah Elizabeth Stewart, 32, was charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child, in connection with the death of Aydon Quinn at the family’s home in Greer, South Carolina, last year.

Sarah’s husband, Christopher Allen Stewart, 48, was also charged with unlawful neglect of a child, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. 

On Thursday, a judge denied Sarah bond for the second time since her arrest in March, after prosecutors argued she remains a flight risk, WHNS-TV reported. Christopher bonded out shortly after his arrest earlier this year.

An investigation into the death of Aydon began in October 2022, when deputies responded to a call of an unresponsive child at the Stewart’s home. 

Sarah and Christopher — Aydon’s foster parents — allegedly told first responders he fell out of a recliner, hit his head on the floor, and began seizing.

EMS “informed deputies before they left that the victim’s prognosis was grim,” according to a news release.

He died later at the hospital.

Following a 5-month investigation, toxicology results confirmed Aydon died from a fatal dose of Benadryl. The 45-pound 6-year-old had “enough Benadryl in his system to kill an adult male,” authorities alleged.

His body was allegedly covered in bruises “in various stages of healing” and the foster parents were taken into custody.

During police interviews, both suspects allegedly admitted Sarah gave Aydon the over-the-counter medicine “because he was hyperactive," according to authorities.

Social services allegedly received past child abuse complaints and a subsequent search of the Stewart’s home revealed Aydon lived in “filthy conditions,” according to authorities.

The couple were not authorized to foster Aydon through the Department of Social Services. Rather, the child’s biological mother signed guardianship over to Christopher while she was locked up at a West Virginia federal prison, the sheriff’s office said, WHNS reported.