Bronx daycare owner and accomplice head to court to face murder charges in suspected fentanyl death of boy, 1
A Bronx day care center operator and a man who lives with her were led out of a NYPD stationhouse Sunday to face murder charges in the death of 1-year-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici, who investigators believe died from fentanyl exposure.
Grei Mendez, 36, the owner of El Divino Nino Daycare on Morris Ave. near E. 196th St. in Fordham Manor, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were expected to be arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court on murder, manslaughter, assault and other charges.
Police found a kilo of fentanyl in a closet at the day care center and two kilo-press devices, leading investigators to suspect the center was being used as a front for selling the deadly opioid wholesale to other dealers, according to law enforcement sources.
Little Nicholas and three other tots were exposed to the drug Friday, sources said. The other children, two 2-year-old boys and an 8-month-old girl, are expected to survive.
The duo said nothing to reporters as police led them in handcuffs from the 52nd Precinct stationhouse Sunday.
Mendez, whose black hair was pulled into a short ponytail, stepped out wearing frayed and ripped blue jeans, a yellow long-sleeved pullover and white sandals. She kept her eyes fixed to the ground and betrayed no emotion as she was asked about drugs at the day care and the death of the boy.
Brito emerged next, holding his head down as he wore a white hat, black shoes, black jeans and a gray long-sleeved pullover.
The Bronx district attorney’s office is currently handling the case, though sources said prosecutors with the Southern District of New York are mulling whether the duo could face federal charges.
Fentanyl, which is used to treat cancer patients with chronic pain, is also illegally manufactured in foreign labs and mixed with other drugs like heroin to increase their potency. A small dose of the drug can be fatal, and it is now considered the “primary driver” of overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the DEA.
On Sunday, mourners lit candles at a memorial to Nicholas outside the building housing the now-shuttered day care center.
“We feel bad. This is touching the whole world. I have a granddaughter. We leave our children because we have to,” said Soundview resident Zenaida Matos. “The day care is licensed by the government. You leave your kid there you, and you expect they will be there when you go to pick them up.”
The day care passed its annual surprise inspection with the state Office of Children and Family Services on Sept. 6, records show.
“What happened then?” Matos asked. “They failed them. Someone failed in this situation.”
One resident of the building, Estaphanie Rosario, said she considered putting her own child in the center but ultimately went with another site down the block because something felt “off.”
“My heart said no. Because the woman didn’t have too much experience watching children,” said Rosario, 29.
