A babysitter will appear in court 6 years after the child’s death in a military facility

Almost six years after death of a 7-month-old child in a military facility in Hawaii, the child’s nanny, a Navy wife, is scheduled to appear in Hawaii civil court on Monday on manslaughter charges.

Dixie Denise’s Villa was arrested on July 20, 2019, in connection with the death of Abigail Lobisch, who was found dead on February 24, 2019, at Villa’s home on the Aliamanu Military Reservation in Hawaii.

Villa pleaded not guilty in August 2019.

Court documents show the trial was adjourned at least 13 times.

“It was a painful, long and exhausting wait,” Anna Lobisch, Abigail’s mother, told Military Times. “But we are ready to finally move forward and hopefully get justice for Abi.”

Abigail’s father, James Lobisch, is a member of the National Guard.

The cause of Abigail Lobisch’s illness was an overdose of antihistamines Court documents show he died.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the medical examiner’s report found the child’s blood tested positive for diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and other similar drugs, at levels of 2,400 nanograms per milliliter. According to the statement, this is almost twice the concentration of 1,400 nanograms per milliliter, which is the average reported for fatal overdoses in infants.

In September 2019, following the death of a child, the Department of Defense’s chief of staff called on officials to investigate reports of unauthorized day care operations on installations. James Stewart, then acting secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said officials should take appropriate steps to stop these unauthorized operations.

To operate a family day care home on a military installation, providers must obtain a permit, complete a vetting and training process, and meet requirements related to safety inspections, curriculum, nutrition, and a number of other regulations.

Following the death of Abigail Lobisch, the Hawaii Army has launched an investigation into illegal child care on its bases. Investigators found that the various agencies’ response systems to reports of alleged violations were inconsistent and that there was a lack of clear procedures for dealing with violations. investigation report obtained by Military Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The report found that multiple factors contributed to the prevalence of unauthorized childcare facilities, including a lack of available childcare. In 2018, there were more than 500 military children on child care waiting lists in Hawaii.