On March 18, 2026, 12-year-old Eve Rogers was found unresponsive in her bedroom at her family's home in Enfield, Connecticut. Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Months later, newly released search warrant documents have revealed that she had a fatal concentration of diphenhydramine in her bloodstream, while authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
Newly unsealed search warrant documents have revealed that 12-year-old Eve Rogers, had a fatal concentration of diphenhydramine in her bloodstream. Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in the over-the-counter antihistamine Benadryl and several nighttime sleep medications. The newly released court documents include five additional search warrants obtained by investigators as the investigation continues.¹
Authorities have not determined how the medication entered the child's body. The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet released the official cause or manner of death, and the investigation remains active, according to Eye Witness News 30.
According to previously released search warrant documents, Eve Rogers was found on the floor of her locked bedroom after her mother told police she used a butter knife to unlock the door. Emergency responders found the 12-year-old unresponsive and she was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported in Fox 10 News.
Court documents state that Eve's body showed signs consistent with postmortem changes, including rigor mortis and bluish-purple discoloration. She was partially covered with a blanket, was unclothed from the waist down, and blood-tinged fluid was observed coming from her nose. Investigators reported that the cause of death was not immediately evident at the scene.
A subsequent toxicology examination found that her femoral blood contained approximately 23,000 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of diphenhydramine.
Search warrant records reference published toxicology data indicating that reported fatal blood concentrations are approximately 4,390 ng/mL in children and 14,720 ng/mL in adults. The level detected in Eve's blood was substantially higher than these reported values.
During the investigation, officers recovered a bottle of diphenhydramine-containing sleep aid capsules from the residence. Court documents state that the bottle originally held 250 capsules, but only three remained, as reported in Harford Courant.
Investigators reported that they searched the residence multiple times and located only this single bottle of diphenhydramine-containing blue gel sleep aid capsules. Detectives also stated that they did not locate any additional diphenhydramine packaging, loose pills, or empty bottles that could explain the source of the fatal amount.
According to the warrants, Eve's mother told investigators that she kept the medication under her supervision and occasionally administered it to help her daughter sleep.
However, the medical examiner reported that Eve's gastrointestinal tract did not contain the blue dye typically associated with the blue gel capsules found in the home. Investigators noted that a dye-free formulation of diphenhydramine would not leave visible coloring in Eve's gastrointestinal tract.
However, based on the toxicology findings, they estimated that approximately 1.8 liters of a dye-free liquid formulation would need to be consumed to produce the concentration of diphenhydramine detected in her blood. Additional laboratory analysis of granular material recovered from Eve's stomach identified only about half of a standard therapeutic dose of diphenhydramine, according to the warrants.
At this stage, authorities have not established which formulation was involved or how the fatal amount was administered or ingested.
The toxicology report also identified fluoxetine, an antidepressant commonly sold under the brand name Prozac, in Eve's bloodstream.
Investigators stated that Eve did not have a prescription for fluoxetine.
The report further noted that she had previously been prescribed amphetamine and trazodone, but neither medication was detected during postmortem testing.
The investigation into Eve Rogers' death is separate from an ongoing criminal case involving her stepfather, Anthony Federline.
According to Harford Courant, Federline was arrested in April 2026 and charged with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. According to court documents, investigators alleged that DNA analysis of samples collected during a sexual assault examination identified a profile that was likely a match to Federline. The remaining DNA profiles were reported to belong to Eve and an unidentified individual.
Federline has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the case remains pending before Hartford Superior Court.
The day after Federline's arrest, Eve's mother was interviewed again by investigators. According to the warrants, she told police she had concerns about her daughter's online interactions and said she had previously discovered what she described as inappropriate conversations between Eve and unknown individuals on the internet, according to Hartford Courant.
Investigators reported that they were unable to locate evidence of those alleged conversations during forensic examinations of the electronic devices available to them. The warrants state that Eve regularly used a laptop, tablet, and mobile phone. However, her mother told investigators that the phone had been broken and that she did not know its whereabouts. Police were unable to recover the device during their search of the home.
The mother also told investigators that she was concerned Eve might have been taking medications prescribed to her or to her siblings. According to the warrants, prescription and over-the-counter medications had been stored in a locked box in the basement for the previous two to three months.
Investigators are reviewing records obtained through search warrants served on Facebook, Snapchat, Amazon, and CVS Caremark, including digital communications between Eve Rogers and Anthony Federline, purchase histories for diphenhydramine-containing products, pharmacy records, and other evidence relevant to the investigation.
Court records also indicate that additional search warrants remain sealed because the investigation is ongoing.
The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet ruled on the official cause or manner of Eve Rogers' death. Law enforcement officials have not announced whether the death has been classified as accidental, intentional, or the result of another circumstance.
(Rh/SS/MSM)