App.js method calls method in apiCalls.js ; NOT handling erros properly, Unhandled Rejection (TypeError): Cannot read property '_id' of undefined

apiCall.js

// error returned from line 4, but I think it's from line 6
// Unhandled Rejection (TypeError): Cannot read property '_id' of undefined

export async function getPalabra(p, pObj) {
  console.log(p, pObj);
  return fetch(`${APIURL}${p}${pObj._id}`)
    .then(resp => {
      if (!resp.ok) {
        if (resp.status >= 400 && resp.status < 500) {
          return resp.json().then(data => {
            let err = { errorMessage: data.message }
            throw err;
          })
        } else {
          let err = { errorMessage: "Please Try Again Later. Server Is NOT Responding." };
          throw err;
        }
      }
      return resp.json();
    })
}

App.js

async handleLoadPalabra(p, pObj){
    let palabra;
    let params = p.slice(0, -1);
    console.log(p, pObj);
    if (pObj.hasOwnProperty("_id")) {
      console.log(pObj);
      palabra = await apiCalls.getPalabra(p, pObj);
      console.log(palabra);
    } else if (pObj.hasOwnProperty('word')) {
      let word = pObj.word;
      console.log(word);
      let findPalabra = this.state[params].filter(param => param.word === word);
      findPalabra = findPalabra[0];
      console.log(findPalabra);
//       I added lines 16-21 to handle the issue but I'm looking for a better way to handle it and communicate to the use that the word is not found.
      // if (findPalabra === undefined) {
      //   let err = { errorMessage: "Word NOT Found!" };
      //   return;
      // } else if (findPalabra.hasOwnProperty('_id')){
      //     palabra = await apiCalls.getPalabra(p, findPalabra);
      // }
      palabra = await apiCalls.getPalabra(p, findPalabra);
      console.log(palabra);
    }
    console.log(palabra);

    switch (params) {
      case "fourLetterWords":
        this.setState({ fourLetterWord: palabra });
        this.props.history.push('/words/four-letter-word');
        break;
      case "prefixSuffixRoots":
        this.setState({ prefixSuffixRoot: palabra });
        this.props.history.push('/words/prefix-suffix-root');
        break;
      case "users":
        this.setState({ user0: palabra });
        break;
      case "verbos":
        this.setState({ verbo: palabra });
        this.props.history.push('/words/verbo');
        break;
      default:

    }
  }