On Jan. 14, a Virginia judge accepted Leandra Andrade's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2022 death of her two-year-old daughter, who had a fatal level of Benadryl. Andrade faced aggravated murder and child neglect charges; a second-degree murder count was dropped. A 2024 forensic evaluation diagnosed Andrade with PTSD, severe recurrent major depressive disorder with psychotic features and other disorders. A conditional release hearing in March will decide whether she should be committed to a behavioral health facility.
Mother Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity After Toddler Dies From Toxic Benadryl
Lanoix Andrade
On Jan. 14, a Virginia judge accepted Leandra Andrade's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2022 death of her two-year-old daughter, Lanoix. The child died in August 2022 after toxic levels of the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) were found in her system.
Andrade, 38 at the time, was discovered unconscious at a hotel in Virginia Beach while Lanoix was found unresponsive and later determined to have a fatal dose of the medication. Prosecutors had charged Andrade with aggravated murder and child neglect; a second-degree murder count was dropped before the plea was accepted.
A court-ordered forensic evaluation completed in 2024 diagnosed Andrade with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); major depressive disorder, recurrent and severe with psychotic features; persistent depressive disorder (early onset, moderate-severe); PTSD with dissociative symptoms; and an unspecified eating disorder. Records also indicate she made a prior suicide attempt years earlier.
Prosecutors cited text messages allegedly sent by Andrade on the night of Lanoix's death as part of their evidence. According to court records, one message read, "Neither one of us want the future you are manifesting; it will make you cry yourself to sleep at night," with later annotations and passages circled and labeled with notes such as "you don't win" and "Please believe me."
Fabio Andrade Jr., the child’s father, criticized the plea: "It is a failure of accountability; it strips transparency from the process and denies my daughter the most basic protection the justice system promises that the truth will be tested in open court."
Because the judge accepted Andrade's insanity plea, the matter will not proceed to a traditional criminal trial. Instead, Andrade is scheduled for a conditional release hearing in March, which will determine whether she should be committed to a behavioral health facility and what treatment or supervision will be required. Her attorney described the case as devastating and called it an unparalleled tragedy for everyone involved.
The criminal charges, medical findings, the alleged text evidence and the contested custody history remain part of the court record as the case moves to the next procedural step in March.
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