The owner of the Bronx daycare where a 1-year-old boy died Friday after being exposed to what may have been fentanyl was charged Saturday night with murder along with her neighbor, police said.
Divino Nino owner Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, and his neighbor Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were arrested Saturday and each faces 11 charges, including murder by depraved indifference, assault and endangerment children after the horrific incident that also sent three children to the hospital, cops said Saturday.
The two men were taken into custody Saturday after a search of the building revealed nearly a kilo of fentanyl, as well as several kilo presses – a device used to combine fentanyl with other drugs like cocaine and heroin, officials and sources said.
Ventura, who sources say is originally from the Dominican Republic and recently moved to the United States, opened the Kingsbridge daycare in May and the facility passed a surprise annual inspection on Sept. 6, records show .
Nicholas Dominici, 21 months, died Friday after he and three other young children — a 1-year-old boy, two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl — were found unconscious in the basement after being found unconscious. He is believed to have inhaled the deadly drug.
Two of the toddlers were in cardiac arrest when first responders arrived at the facility, with Nicholas and a 2-year-old boy having received multiple doses of the anti-overdose drug Narcan, authorities said.
Nicholas was rushed to Montefiore Hospital, where he died, police said.
Police said Saturday evening that the 2-year-old boy remained in critical condition and the 8-month-old female was in stable condition.
A fourth child, a 2-year-old boy, picked up from daycare shortly before 1 p.m. Friday, also appears to have been exposed to drugs.
He was privately transported to BronxCare Health System and is in stable condition, cops said.
In addition to murder, they are each also charged with: involuntary manslaughter of a person under the age of 11; manslaughter recklessly causing death; four counts of assault causing injury with risk of death; four counts of assault causing injury during a felony; four counts of assault causing serious injury; four counts of reckless assault causing serious injury; three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance; criminal possession of a controlled substance; criminal possession of narcotics; and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Friday marked the end of Nicholas’ first week at the Morris Avenue daycare, the boy’s grieving father, Otoniel Feliz, told reporters.
He said he initially thought his son was sick from carbon monoxide poisoning.
“It was a peaceful place, it felt like they would take good care of (the children). They still stay in touch with us. Everything seemed fine,” he said.
“We expected to take our son to a place where he would be cared for, not to the funeral home.”
New York Post
