Connecticut Man Charged Amid Investigation of Stepdaughter’s Death

A 39-year-old Connecticut man, Anthony Federline, faces charges related to the alleged sexual assault of his 12-year-old stepdaughter, Eve Rogers. Authorities found the girl dead with a high level of diphenhydramine in her system. This chemical is the active component in Benadryl. Enfield Police Department records show Federline was charged in April with first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Investigators are expanding their search to include Federline’s Facebook and Snapchat accounts, as well as the family’s CVS Caremark and two Amazon accounts. These efforts aim to shed light on the circumstances surrounding Eve Rogers’ death.

Rogers was discovered deceased at home on March 18. Court documents reveal her mother discovered her partially unclothed on her bedroom floor. A blanket covered the lower part of her body, and blood and other fluids were observed coming from her nose.

“A sexual assault kit was performed on the girl before her autopsy, and Federline was determined to be one of the ‘contributors from a DNA swab,’” according to an arrest warrant, as reported by WFLA.

There are no charges directly connected to the girl’s death yet. A medical examiner confirmed a toxic amount of diphenhydramine in the child’s system. Prozac, known scientifically as fluoxetine, appeared in the toxicology report despite not being prescribed to Rogers. WFLA reported that Rogers’ blood contained 23,000 ng/ml of diphenhydramine. Yet, lethal levels for children and adults are 4,390 ng/ml and 14,720 ng/ml, respectively.

The large dosage would require ingestion of approximately 1.8 liters of liquid diphenhydramine.

Federline has denied wrongdoing. He pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault and related charges.

Rogers’ mother reported using her Amazon account to buy several items, including medication, Sleep Aid capsules, and a sexual pleasure device for her daughter. Despite this high diphenhydramine level, investigators found no dye traces suggestive of Sleep Aid capsules ingestion.

The mother discovered unsettling online interactions between Rogers and unidentified individuals. However, law enforcement found no trace of these interactions.

Anthony Federline admitted conversing with his stepdaughter on Facebook and Snapchat. He insists these interactions lacked any inappropriate content. New warrants have been issued to examine Federline’s digital communications preceding Eve Rogers’ tragic death.

Federline remains scheduled for another court appearance later this month.