A lethal dose of lorazepam overwhelmed an adult, and for Olivia García the outcome was fatal within hours. The six-year-old girl died in her apartment on Avenida de Gaspar García Laviana at the end of last October, in a case involving her mother, Noemí Martínez Largo. The coroner’s report indicated drug poisoning as the cause of death, with lorazepam detected in the bloodstream at a concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter. The autopsy established the time of death as 12:00 a.m. on October 29, shortly after the girl had been brought to Gijón from Segovia, where her mother had taken her from her father, Eugenio García. The court later assigned custody of the child to her paternal grandparents.
A March 14 report confirms that the girl died at her home on 71 Avenida de Gaspar García Laviana, apparently after ingesting a deadly mix of pills allegedly given by her mother. Doctors cited central nervous system depression due to poisoning from antiepileptics, sedative-hypnotics, and antiparkinsonian drugs, all of which can be associated with anxiolytics like lorazepam. Sources explain that the pills act quickly after a very high dose.
Blood tests showed a very high level of 0.7 milligrams per liter. Experts note that this amount could be lethal to an adult, making it difficult to draw a direct comparison to a six-year-old. The medication is not prescribed for minors, and the quantities found suggest a large number of pills were involved. Remnants of tablets remained in the stomach, indicating they had not all been absorbed. The report also states that other methods, such as strangulation, were not used to cause death. The cause was attributed to drug poisoning alone.
The time of death was recorded as 00:00 on October 29. That same day, Martínez Largo traveled back to Segovia to collect her daughter and bring her to Gijón. According to the account given at the time, the ex-wife was expected to meet the father in Segovia around five in the afternoon that Saturday. Given a roughly four-hour drive from Segovia to Gijón, she should have arrived at her apartment in the El Llano district around nine-thirty or ten o’clock. The autopsy timing suggests the poisoning occurred not long after she arrived and allegedly provided the pills that would cause Olivia’s death hours later.
The following day, Sunday October 30, police entered the apartment and found Noemí Martínez in bed beside the girl’s lifeless body. The investigation continued, and the case drew attention as details emerged about the custodial changes following the parents’ divorce. A judge had previously shifted custody, granting the father weekend and holiday access while the mother was in charge during the weekdays.
The custody adjustment occurred just days before the weekend when Olivia died. Eugenio García learned of the shift while traveling from Segovia to Gijón to pick up his daughter from Corazón de María School. As the new arrangement went into effect, Olivia remained with her mother over that weekend, during which she was not seen. The father and daughter then traveled to Segovia. On Saturday, October 29, the mother returned to Segovia to collect Olivia and brought her back to Gijón for the weekend. Time of death analysis indicates that the girl was likely given a large amount of lorazepam soon after the mother arrived at the residence.
The National Police entered the scene on Sunday, October 30, and Noemí Martínez was found resting in bed beside Olivia. The case has generated ongoing attention as the investigation progressed. After the parents’ divorce, the judge had transferred guardianship to the father in order to ensure a more stable routine, though the mother still shared responsibilities during weekends and holidays. The familial arrangements, ultimately, became part of the broader narrative surrounding the tragedy.
In the days that followed, it became clear how the weekend custody schedule had shaped Olivia’s living arrangements. Eugenio García learned of the custody change while driving from Segovia to Gijón to fetch his daughter from school. As the new plan unfolded, Olivia stayed with her mother that weekend and did not appear in public. The sequence of events, combined with the autopsy’s timing, points to the administration of a large lorazepam dose soon after the mother returned to the apartment.
in Brieva prison
Noemí Martínez Largo was arrested around 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 30. Her brother, Antonio Martínez Largo, reported a lack of communication throughout the day. Police found Noemí in her bed beside the still body of Olivia García. She is being held in Brieva women’s prison in Ávila, where a reviewable permanent prison sentence appears likely for the murder of her daughter.