6 years after the death of a child in a military barracks, the babysitter is awaiting trial

Almost six years after the death of a 7-month-old child in the military A Hawaii babysitter, a Navy wife, is set to go on trial Monday on involuntary manslaughter charges in Hawaii’s civilian court system.

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

In August 2019, Villa pleaded not guilty.

According to court records, the trial was adjourned at least 13 times.

“It’s been a painful, long and exhausting wait,” Anna Lobish, Abigail’s mother, told Military Times. “But we’re ready to finally move forward and hopefully get justice for Abby.”

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

The cause of Abigail Lobish’s illness was an overdose of antihistamines death, according to court records.

A medical examiner’s report found the child’s blood tested positive for diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and other similar drugs, at 2,400 nanograms per milliliter, according to an affidavit in the arrest warrant. That’s nearly double the concentration of 1,400 nanograms per milliliter, which is the average reported fatal overdose in infants, according to the affidavit.

In September 2019, after the death of the child, the chief of staff of the Ministry of Defense called on officials investigate reports of unauthorized daycare operations at facilities. James Stewart, then acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said officials must take appropriate action to stop these unauthorized operations.

To operate a family daycare on a military installation, providers must be authorized, undergo a vetting and training process, and meet requirements related to security checks, curriculum, nutrition and a number of other regulations.

Because of the death of Abigail Lobish, the Hawaii Army has launched an investigation into unauthorized child care at its base. Investigators discovered an inconsistent response system of various departments to reports of alleged violations and the absence of clear procedures for eliminating violations, reports investigation protocol obtained by Military Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The report says a number of factors have contributed to the proliferation of unauthorized childcare providers, including the lack of affordable childcare. In 2018, more than 500 military children were on the waiting list for child care in Hawaii.