Two individuals have been charged with murder following the tragic death of a one-year-old boy at a Bronx nursery in New York City. Nicholas Dominici, who had only been attending the nursery for a week, passed away in a hospital after being exposed to a kilogram of fentanyl, which was found hidden beneath mats in an area where children took naps.
The incident also affected an eight-month-old girl and two boys, both aged two, who fell ill after being exposed to the potent opioid. The nursery, known as Divino Niño, was operated by Grei Mendez, aged 36, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, aged 41, the latter being a cousin of Mendez’s husband and a tenant in the same building as the nursery.
Both Mendez and Brito were arrested on Friday and have now been charged with murder in connection with Nicholas’s death. Additionally, they face charges of manslaughter, assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, as outlined in court documents.
During their initial court appearance, both defendants were remanded without bail. Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated, “We allege that the defendants poisoned four babies and killed one of them because they were running a drug operation from a daycare centre. A daycare centre – a place where children should be kept safe, not surrounded by a drug that could kill them in an instant.”
Mendez’s defence lawyer, Andres Manuel Aranda, confirmed that his client intends to contest the charges.
The incident came to light when New York City police responded to a call at the nursery, discovering three unconscious children, including Nicholas. Narcan, an opioid reversal treatment, was administered to all three children in an attempt to revive them. While two of the children survived, Nicholas tragically lost his life at Montefiore Medical Centre.
Nicholas’s parents, Zoila Dominici and Otoniel Feliz, revealed that he had only started attending the nursery a week before his untimely death. Another two-year-old boy, who had been taken home from the nursery by his family, was later found “acting lethargic and unresponsive” by his mother and was admitted to the BronxCare Health System. Thanks to Narcan, his life was saved, and Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny noted that the three surviving children are now “doing fine.”
In addition to the kilogram of fentanyl discovered under the nap mats, police uncovered three kilogram press devices, commonly used by drug dealers for packaging large quantities of drugs. Chief Kenny emphasised that there had been no prior complaints about the nursery being linked to any drug-related activities.
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, acknowledged that child care inspectors are not trained to detect fentanyl, suggesting that training in this area may be necessary. He stated that an inspection of the nursery had been conducted a week before the incident, with no reported issues.
Mayor Eric Adams described the incident as “total madness” but commended the swift action taken by emergency responders. New York City, like much of the United States, has witnessed a rise in opioid-related deaths, primarily attributed to fentanyl, in recent years.
