New York City authorities have charged two individuals with murder in relation to the death of a one-year-old boy at a daycare in what is believed to have been a fentanyl exposure-related incident.
The two suspects are 36-year-old Grei Mendez, the operator of the Divino Nino daycare in the Bronx, and 41-year-old Acevedo Brito, who lived at the address listed for the daycare center. Officials arrested the two on Saturday evening on a count of murder showing "depraved indifference."
Bronx Day Care Death
The case relates to the victim, identified as Nicholas Feliz Dominici, and the two suspects, as of Sunday afternoon, were still waiting to be arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court. They are facing charges that include four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and 16 counts of assault and criminal possession of drugs.
At the daycare center where the child died, a sign read "Welcome" remained on the door and some candles, a bouquet of white flowers, and a plastic fire truck sat by the door. The victim appeared to be adjusting well at the center, a small and cheerful place that was relatively affordable and had a good reputation, said the mother, Zoila Dominici, as per the New York Times.
She also said that she did not see anything that looked out of the ordinary inside the daycare, noting there were just little beds and toys. Dominici added that Mendez appeared to be a responsible woman who played soothing music for the children to get them to nap.
The 34-year-old mother, a caregiver for older people, has four other children but said she had just gotten Nicholas and he was already taken away from her. She then thanked God for what little time she could spend with her son.
Emergency medical workers on Friday arrived at the six-story brick building in the north Bronx at around 2:45 p.m. A neighbor had said that one of the women who worked at the center ran out, screaming that they could not wake the children from their usual nap.
Suspected Fentanyl Exposure
First responders immediately administered Narcan to three children who were unresponsive from their naps. These include Nicholas, a two-year-old boy, and an eight-month-old girl. During a news conference on Saturday, New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that they were trying to save the lives of the children, as per CNN.
The two children besides Nicholas both survived, and another two-year-old boy, who was taken home by his parents, was said to have acted "lethargic and unresponsive." He was immediately taken to BronxCare Health System, where medical professionals also administered him with Narcan.
Photos of the daycare kitchen painted a different scene than the main area where the children are kept. One image featured an open box of Lucky Charms cereal and other snacks as a bag of Lays potato chips was dangerously sitting on a stove burner, said the New York Post.
