Dayanna Familia
Introduction
Dayanna Familia, 35, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, was arrested on Saturday, October 24, 2026, by the Boston Police Department’s Fugitive Unit in the area of 17 Eastbrook Road in Dedham, on an outstanding arrest warrant issued out of Dorchester District Court. The warrant charged her with manslaughter, possession of Class A drugs, destruction of evidence, and intentionally misleading an investigator in a criminal investigation — all in connection with the August 17, 2026 death of her four-year-old daughter, Liyanna Bautista Familia, who died after ingesting fentanyl. Familia was arraigned on Monday, October 26, in Dorchester and pleaded not guilty.
Background Information
At approximately 8:51 PM on Monday, August 17, 2026, officers from Boston Police District B-3 (Mattapan) responded to a radio call for an unknown problem in the area of 200 Fuller Street in Dorchester. On arrival they found the four-year-old unresponsive, began administering CPR, and rushed her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A post-mortem autopsy determined her death was caused by acute fentanyl intoxication, and the Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit took over the investigation. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said the child died “as a result of ingesting fentanyl.”
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Charged, not convicted. Familia faces manslaughter and related charges in her four-year-old daughter’s fentanyl-poisoning death. She has pleaded not guilty, and the allegations against her remain unadjudicated.
In court on Monday, prosecutors alleged that Familia lied to the emergency personnel who were trying to save her daughter’s life about what was causing the medical emergency. She told them “the child was drinking milk when she turned blue and perhaps had gotten into a roach trap,” even though — prosecutors said — she likely knew the illness was caused by fentanyl she had left out and the child had gotten into, and that she declined to report it to authorities at the time. Police body camera footage appeared to show Familia attempting to conceal and destroy a white powder alleged to be fentanyl, and search warrants executed at her home afterward turned up fentanyl, according to prosecutors. Boston.com, citing court records, additionally listed charges of reckless endangerment of a child and of intimidating a witness, juror, police officer, or court official alongside the manslaughter, drug-possession, and evidence counts.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Familia’s attorney asked for $10,000 bail, arguing her family could not raise more and that she was not a threat to flee, but the judge ordered her held on $250,000 bail based on the seriousness of the charges. Her attorney did not immediately respond to The New York Post’s request for comment. The arrest drew wide local coverage in Boston, with outlets from NBC10 Boston to WCVB and Boston.com detailing the charge picture and the prosecutors’ account of the concealment allegations. Boston.com reported on Sunday evening, the day before the hearing, that attorney information for Familia was not yet publicly listed.
Current Status
Familia, 35, is held on $250,000 bail following her October 26, 2026 arraignment in Boston Municipal Court, and is due back in court on November 20, 2026. Her manslaughter, drug-possession, evidence-destruction, and misleading-investigator charges are pending and unadjudicated; she has pleaded not guilty and no conviction has been entered. The Boston Police Department’s Homicide Unit says its investigation into the child’s death remains active.
Impact on Their Career/Life
A mother of a four-year-old now stands charged with her daughter’s manslaughter, with prosecutors alleging she fabricated a milk-and-roach-trap story while paramedics tried to revive the dying girl and was captured on body camera apparently destroying suspected fentanyl. The allegations, if proven, describe a fatal breach of a parent’s most basic duty of care; if she is convicted, the felony record and prison exposure will follow her permanently, and she remains in custody pending trial unless she posts the quarter-million-dollar bail set against her. Until her November 20 court date, the case stands as one more entry in fentanyl’s toll on children — a drug that killed her daughter before she turned five, according to the autopsy finding of acute fentanyl intoxication.
Sources
- NY Post, “Mom told EMS her daughter, 4, was sick from ‘drinking milk’ — as she turned blue from fentanyl poisoning: prosecutors” — source
- Boston Police Department, “Boston Police Arrest Dorchester Woman in Connection with August 2026 Child Death Investigation” — source
- NBC10 Boston, “New details in case of Boston mom whose 4-year-old died after ingesting fentanyl” — source
- Boston.com, “Boston mother charged in 4-year-old’s fentanyl death” — source
- WCVB, “Boston mother charged in 4-year-old daughter’s fentanyl death” — source