Bronx day care center owner, neighbor charged in 1-year-old’s death after possible fentanyl exposure
The owner of the Bronx day care center where a 1-year-old boy died after being exposed to what may have been fentanyl on Friday was charged Saturday night with murder along with her neighbor, police announced.
Divino Nino owner Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, and neighbor Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were arrested on Saturday and each hit with 11 charges, including depraved-indifference murder, assault and child endangerment after the horrific incident that also sent three children to the hospital, cops said Saturday.
The pair were taken into police custody on Saturday after a search of the building revealed nearly a kilo of fentanyl, as well as multiple kilo presses — a device used to combine fentanyl with other drugs like cocaine and heroin, officials and sources said.
Ventura, who sources say is a native of the Dominican Republic who recently moved to the US, opened the Kingsbridge day care in May and the facility passed a surprise annual inspection Sept. 6, records show.
21-month-old Nicholas Dominici died on Friday after he and three other toddlers — a 1-year-old boy, two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl — were found unresponsive in the basement after they are believed to have inhaled the deadly drug.
Two of the tots were in cardiac arrest when first responders arrived at the facility, with Nicholas and a 2-year-old boy being given multiple doses of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, authorities said.
Nicholas was rushed to Montefiore hospital, where he died, police said.
Police said Saturday night that the 2-year-old boy remains in critical condition and the 8-month-old female is listed in stable condition.
A fourth child, a 2-year-old boy, picked up from the day care center just before 1 p.m. Friday also appeared 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: manslaughter of a person under 11 years old; manslaughter recklessly causing death; four counts assault causing injury through 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 was the end of Nicholas’ first week at the Morris Avenue day care, 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 seemed like they would take good care [of the kids]. They always keep in contact with us. Everything seemed fine,” he said.
“We expected that we were taking our son to a place where he would be taken care of, not to the funeral home.”
