A Dorchester mother pleaded not guilty Monday to manslaughter and related charges in the death of her 4-year-old daughter, who prosecutors say died after getting into fentanyl left within her reach. Dayanna Familia, 35, was arraigned October 26, 2026, in Dorchester District Court and held on $250,000 cash bail, NBC10 Boston and 7News (WHDH) reported. Prosecutors allege she misled the first responders trying to save the child and was recorded on police body camera trying to destroy a white powder. Familia is presumed innocent.
What police and prosecutors say happened
- August 17, 2026. Boston police responded just before 9 p.m. to a call for an unknown problem in the 200 block of Fuller Street in Dorchester and found Liyanna Bautista Familia unresponsive. Officers began CPR, and she was taken to a hospital, where she died, NBC10 reported, citing police. An autopsy found the cause of death was “acute fentanyl intoxication.”
- What she told responders. Prosecutors said in court that Familia told EMS and police that “the child was drinking milk when she turned blue and perhaps had gotten into a roach trap,” even though, they allege, she knew the likely cause was fentanyl she had left out, NBC10 reported. 7News reported that prosecutors allege she told medical crews her daughter may have ingested a pesticide.
- The body camera. Prosecutors allege she was seen on police body camera video trying to conceal and destroy a white powder alleged to be fentanyl, and that search warrants executed at the home later turned up fentanyl, NBC10 reported.
- The arrest. Familia was arrested Saturday, October 24, by the Boston Police Fugitive Unit on a warrant out of Dorchester District Court, according to NBC10 and Fall River Reporter.
The charges
Familia is charged with manslaughter, possession of a Class A drug, destruction of evidence and intentionally misleading an investigator, NBC10 and Fall River Reporter reported. New Bedford Guide also listed reckless endangerment of a child. Here is what the main charges require:
- Involuntary manslaughter. G.L. c. 265, § 13 sets the penalty at up to 20 years in state prison. In the classic case, Commonwealth v. Welansky, 316 Mass. 383 (1944), the SJC defined the wanton or reckless conduct at its core as “intentional conduct, by way either of commission or of omission where there is a duty to act, which conduct involves a high degree of likelihood that substantial harm will result to another.” Prosecutors must prove more than carelessness.
- Destruction of evidence. G.L. c. 268, § 13E punishes anyone who “alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so,” intending to impair its availability for an official proceeding, “whether or not the proceeding is pending at that time.” When the proceeding involves a criminal violation, the maximum is 10 years in state prison.
- Misleading an investigator. G.L. c. 268, § 13B makes it a crime to willfully mislead a person who is an investigator, witness or other participant in a criminal investigation.
- Reckless endangerment of a child. G.L. c. 265, § 13L covers anyone who “wantonly or recklessly engages in conduct that creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury” to a child under 18, or fails to take reasonable steps to alleviate such a risk where there is a duty to act. The maximum is two and a half years in the house of correction.
Bail and what comes next
Her lawyer asked for $10,000 bail, saying her family could not raise $250,000 and she was not a flight risk, NBC10 reported. The judge set bail at $250,000 cash. If she is released, she may not leave the state or contact witnesses, New Bedford Guide reported. Her next court date is November 20. A manslaughter charge filed in District Court can later be presented to a grand jury for indictment in Superior Court; no indictment has been reported.
Frequently asked questions
What is Dayanna Familia charged with?
Manslaughter, possession of a Class A drug, destruction of evidence and intentionally misleading an investigator, in the August 2026 fentanyl death of her 4-year-old daughter, Liyanna. She pleaded not guilty on October 26, 2026.
Can a parent be charged with manslaughter if a child gets into drugs?
Yes, if prosecutors can prove the parent’s conduct was wanton or reckless: intentional conduct, or a failure to act where there is a duty, that carried a high degree of likelihood of substantial harm. Ordinary negligence is not enough for manslaughter in Massachusetts.
When is Dayanna Familia due back in court?
November 20, 2026, according to NBC10 Boston and New Bedford Guide. She is held on $250,000 cash bail.
Sources: NBC10 Boston and 7News (WHDH), October 26, 2026; New Bedford Guide, October 26, 2026; Fall River Reporter, October 25, 2026. Commonwealth v. Welansky, 316 Mass. 383 (1944), read on CourtListener. G.L. c. 265, §§ 13 and 13L and c. 268, §§ 13B and 13E read at malegislature.gov. The charges are allegations; Familia has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. General information, not legal advice.