Bronx Day Care Owner Sentenced to 45 Years for Fentanyl Poisoning That Killed Toddler
Grei Mendez, the 37-year-old owner of a Bronx daycare, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a fentanyl poisoning incident at her facility led to the death of a 1-year-old boy and three other children hospitalized. Mendez operated Divino Niño Daycare out of a small apartment, where she and her husband operated a large-scale fentanyl packaging and distribution business.
The Incident That Led to The Arrest
On September 15, 2023, four children were dropped off in good health at the daycare. Mendez fed them lunch and put three of them down for a nap. In the afternoon, one of the children, 22-month-old Nicholas Feliz-Dominici, was unresponsive, along with another child. In a bid to cover up the incident, Mendez called her husband and a community center before calling 911. Surveillance footage showed her husband rushing into the building and fleeing through the back door with two bags before emergency personnel arrived. Police later found over 11 kilograms of fentanyl hidden in the daycare beneath a play mat where the children slept and played.
Four children were rushed to the hospital. Three of them survived after being treated with the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, but unfortunately, Nicholas Feliz-Dominici died. Investigations revealed Mendez had previously pulled her 2-year-old son from the facility after suspecting he was showing signs of fentanyl exposure, yet she failed to report to the authorities or close the daycare.
Sentencing and Courtroom Reactions
Before she was sentenced, Mendez apologized to the affected families, calling the incident an accident; however, the affected child’s mother said it was impossible to forgive her. She was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Rakoff condemned Mendez’s action, stating that she only prioritized her child and husband’s welfare over the safety of the children entrusted to her care, ignored warning signs of the children’s distress, and tried to cover up the crime. Attorney Matthew Podolsky also stated that Mendez put innocent children in harm’s way by operating a dangerous drug operation in a child care setting.
