Lorrie and Thomas Boettger Murder Sixth-Month-Old Son with OTC Meds
While visiting relatives in San Diego, Lorrie Jean Boettger, 38, and Thomas Michael Boettger Sr., 39, woke up and found their baby dying. Six-month-old Thomas Boettger Jr. limbs had turned blue and stopped breathing.
Medical experts found the boy had suffered acute intoxication from an antihistamine and a sleeping aid that his parents had given him because he was “fussy.” They had crushed up Benadryl and Unisom tablets and given them to the baby.
The Boettgers have been extradited from Washington state to San Diego and will stand trial for child abuse and murder. If convicted, they could get 15 years to life in prison.
Now you must be thinking, “Boy these parents are just stupid. They didn’t mean to hurt their child.” I’m not so sure since both had medical backgrounds. Thomas worked as an EMT and Lorrie was a midwife.
Lorrie told police that her husband had given the baby meds regularly to get him to go to sleep. Sounds like he couldn’t be bothered with a fussy baby.
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11 opinions for Lorrie and Thomas Boettger Murder Sixth-Month-Old Son with OTC Meds
Samantha616
Sep 15, 2007 at 7:18 am
That’s just sick to me. Especially since they have medical backgrounds. I can see asking a doctor for a sedative for a long trip or something, but to crush up Benedryl and Unisom? That’s just horrible. I hope they get the maximum.
suki
Sep 15, 2007 at 7:50 am
I worked as an EMT in a hospital, he must have
known how EASY it is get info on meds. I wouldn’t
even feel safe taking Benedryl & Unsiom togther!
Poor baby.
Ihavekidstoo
Sep 15, 2007 at 10:53 am
Their story has huge holes in it. Gaping holes big enough to drive a car through. Medical backgrounds and they still didn’t know not to give adult meds to a tiny baby? Kid suffered from acid reflux? Guess what, there are medicines specifically made for INFANTS who suffer this problem. If he had reflux how did they think a sleeping medication and an antihistamine would help that?
Finally, the lawyer says there’s no proof that the adult meds caused the baby’s death because no one knows what the lethal does is for a baby. That’s because even the soulless pharmaceutical companies won’t test drugs on infants, so NO, no one can say what the actual lethal level of those drugs are for an infant. That’s also why you’re not supposed to GIVE adult meds to children - their toxicity level has never been, CAN never be, tested on babies.
Lock them up and feed them nothing but Unisom and Benadryl for the rest of their miserable lives.
Robot B9
Sep 15, 2007 at 5:03 pm
I wonder if they had trouble with the math: while it is possible to calculate a dosage based on body weight. Actually this is a good idea for adults, should a 300 lb person take the same dosage as an 80 lb lightweight? They might have tried to figure this for their baby and got the math wrong. Even though they should have known better, a bad idea to give adult drug anything to baby.
just me
Sep 16, 2007 at 8:22 pm
15 years?? ru serious? i sure hope they get the max!!!! my daughter is a little hyper-active and her doctor told me that its okay to give her childrens benadryl EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE to calm her down when shes uncontrolable, but UNISOM????? ru freakin serious??? i wouldnt even give my 6 year old adult benadryl. and im only a high school graduate WITHOUT a medical background but with alot of common-freakin-sense!!!!
Kathy
Sep 17, 2007 at 6:13 am
LAZY WORTHLESS TURDS!! Just plain laziness killed their baby. If you want baby that just lies around all day, doesn’t fuss or require any “extra” work, and looks cute, do us ALL a favor and STERILIZE yourself and go to the nearest toystore and buy a doll. They make ‘em pretty lifelike now, you can even dress them up in baby clothes. And when you tire of them , their is no need to worry about what the correct dosag of unisom or benadryl is (eyeroll.) You can just throw them in the toybox!
Once again, there are too many fertile people out there that are not deserving of the right to procreate.
Mamahood » Blog Archive » So sad
Sep 18, 2007 at 9:34 am
[…] This is really sad. In a nutshell, a married couple with medical backgrounds (Thomas Boettger is an EMT, and his wife, Lorrie, is a midwife) routinely drugged their six month old baby boy with Benadryl and Unisom tablets and God knows what else to get him to sleep at night and during nap time. Apparently the baby was given the medicine regularly so he wouldn’t fuss and stay up. […]
Lisa
Sep 19, 2007 at 8:34 pm
How stupid do you have to be to not know that you do not give any child (most definitly not an infant) any medication unless you have cleared it through the pediatrition. And only give them the recommended dose for the recommended time period. DUH! This is quite simply a case of child abuse, that ended in death. These so called “parents” are so deserving of lethal injection.
Shel
Sep 20, 2007 at 8:55 am
I agree with everyone on here that we all know you don’t give adult medication to babies. Any EMT would know that! I totally don’t understand Unisom since Benadryl has a side effect of drowsiness. I mean, how long did they want this baby to sleep?!? I would like them to serve enough time that when they come out neither one of them are fertile anymore. So what, about 30 years should do it!
skankyskeezer
Sep 28, 2007 at 10:35 am
Why were they giving a baby medication to sleep regularly? OTC pills give adults massive fuzziheadedness and totally disrupt sleep cycles when taken for prolonged periods of time. Weird. They were almost into their 40’s as well, so at least they probably won’t be breeding again. Biological clock and all that…plus the possibility of lengthy prison terms.
knowthem
Feb 16, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I’ve followed this case because I knew the couple to an extent. The reason there is a murder charge is probably because of their decision to flee. They were picked-up in Seattle in early 2007 by the Fugitive Squad after they packed and left (and told some people they were fleeing). This really makes them seem guilty.
While I don’t believe they intended to kill their child, they are certainly guilty of really bad decisions. It is upsetting that this whole thing happened and your prayers should be with Lorrie’s 9 year-old that is now staying with her father. These people were good, but they didn’t make good decisions.
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