Our reporter Joaquín Torres, from Univision 41, went again to 2707 Morris Avenue, in the Bronx, where he found that a “secret door” inside the daycare hid a compartment of fentanyl and other drugs.
After receiving a tip, authorities broke up the floor in the children’s play area, discovering the narcotics, as well as tools to process drugs.
The husband of the daycare owner is still at large
Grei Méndez, 36, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, cousin of the manager’s husband, are detained and face federal charges that include murder and illegal possession of drugs with intent to distribute them.
It was learned that Carlisto Acevedo rented a room where the “Divino Niño” daycare center operated.
Their escape occurred seconds before emergency services arrived to treat the children, including little Nicholas Dominici, who died of cardiac arrest.
This Thursday, the lawyers attended the court to continue with the judicial process of the detainees. Joaquín Torres specified that those arrested will appear again on October 5.
“The culprit knows he has to pay”
Nicholas had only been attending daycare for a week. “We looked for it through a homepage (the daycare), which is supposed to ensure that it is a good place for children (…) In what mind does it fit that you are going to mix narcotics with children, it is something horrible,” declared his father.
Otoniel Feliz said that “whether they (the detainees) are guilty or not, the real culprit knows that he has to pay.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid drug, extremely dangerous outside the clinical setting, warns the New York Police Department.
Authorities are still determining how the minors could have been poisoned, “by inhalation, ingestion or contact with the skin,” said New York Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan.
It may interest you:
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Nicholas Dominici, a one-year-old baby of Dominican origin, died on September 15 after coming into contact with fentanyl, while he was under the care of the Divino Niño daycare center in the Bronx. Three other children were hospitalized for the same reason.
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After the tragedy, authorities raided the daycare located at 2707 Morris Avenue. The New York Police Department (NYPD) recovered a machine for packaging fentanyl and other types of drugs.
3/13
Grei Méndez, 36, in charge of the daycare, and a 41-year-old cousin, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, had already been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the painful tragedy.
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Both face criminal charges including murder, manslaughter and assault.
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In addition to four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and criminal possession of narcotics including fentanyl.
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“He was a very intelligent child,” said Otoniel Feliz when remembering his son Nicolás, almost 2 years old.
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“I looked out the window to see the sky, I was a happy child, I knew how to count from 1 to 10,” he said, heartbroken.
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The father complained to the owners of the daycare center for handling drugs near the presence of the minors. “The culprit knows he has to pay,” he said.
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The parents told the media that the minor had only been enrolled in daycare a few days ago.
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10/13
The nursery had started its activities in May of this year. This same September it had even passed a surprise inspection.
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This Monday, members of the community remembered the little boy who lost his life with flowers and candles.
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According to reports from the prosecutor of the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, Grei Méndez made three calls before dialing 911, presumably to alert her husband and eliminate evidence of the drugs. She also deleted 21,000 messages.
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After advancing the investigations, the authorities discovered a secret compartment where they found more fentanyl, other drugs and tools to process them. They were hidden under the children’s playroom.
Credit: Televisa Univision
2023-09-21 22:46:45
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