What began as a relaxing vacation ended when the unimaginable happened. The Lavenir’s 19 month old daughter died at their Airbnb on the 1600 block of The 12th Fairway in Wellington, Florida. “After she’s put down for a nap in the early afternoon, the parents see her with foaming at the mouth and a lifeless body,” said Thomas Scolaro, attorney for the Lavenir family. The family attorney said the 19-month-old was sleeping with her older sister in one of the rooms, when her mother found out her daughter was unresponsive.
“The findings revealed fentanyl in Enora’s blood at toxic levels,” officials with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office said in their report. Investigators said Enora was under cardiac arrest. “I was advised the child did not have any known medical conditions,” the investigator wrote. Officials said the cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity and was listed as accidental. They said the parents were “not familiar with the drug prior to the death of their daughter,” an investigator reported.
During the investigation, officials recall going to that same house in July in reference to a loud party. The lawsuit then claimed that more than a week later, a man named Aaron Kornhauser booked the same home. Investigators said Kornhauser confirmed renting the home from July 30-Aug. 1. The Lavenir’s booked the home from Aug. 6-9. Officials said that he reported “that the group of individuals who stayed at the residence had used cocaine in the residence and marijuana (weed) was also used in the residence.”
Deputies reported Kornhauser said powder cocaine was used at the home. “He is familiar with fentanyl and stated that there is no fentanyl in the residence,” an investigator wrote. Airbnb was asked for a comment and a spokesperson responded, “Our hearts go out to the Lavenir family and their loved ones for their devastating loss.”
Airbnb officials also said that Kornhauser booked the house through Vrbo, another rental platform, and that the Lavenirs were the first guests to stay on the property by booking through Airbnb. “A 19-month-old baby dies because of some folks wanted to get a little bit higher than high. No, that’s not good,” Scolaro said. The Lavenirs are suing Kornhauser, as well as the property owner, rental manager and Airbnb.
“We’re going to vet out their culpability and responsibility and hold them accountable under the law,” the attorney said. “These folks lost their beautiful, precious 19-month-old baby because some people decide they like to have drug-fueled parties. They like to play with cocaine, they like to play with fentanyl, and they like to leave their dirty mess for others to stumble upon and clean up.” Scolaro said the family hopes to raise more awareness for families who plan to book through rental properties, and hope there will be more change.
“They want folks to be given some sort of warning and they want some systems in place that if there’s drug-fueled parties, that people are given some sort of notice that this house is an asterisk or a warning,” he said. “When you turn it over to the next group, that every surface is wiped down, that every sheet is changed. That it’s safe, sanitary and secure for families and children to come next time.”
In court filings, Kornhauser and the property owner denied the allegations in the complaint. As for the property on the Airbnb site, company officials said it is no longer active on their platform. WPBF requested a response from the property owner, and his attorney said they have no comment at this time. WPBF reached out to VRBO and is waiting to hear back.
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