1 of 2 Nicholas Dominici was due to turn two in November Photo: OTONIEL FELIZ SAMBOY via BBC Nicholas Dominici was due to turn two in November Photo: OTONIEL FELIZ SAMBOY via BBC
The death of oneyearold Nicholas Dominici due to a suspected overdose of fentanyl a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin and was responsible for 75,000 deaths in the United States last year alone US shocked New Yorkers.
According to police, he died after inhaling the powerful drug at the Bronx daycare run by Grei Mendez.
Three other children were hospitalized.
The drug was found under a rug where the children used to sleep, authorities said.
Mendez was arrested and police are now looking for her husband.
Baby dies of fentanyl overdose at children’s center in New York
On Wednesday (20), a spokesman for the New York Police Department told the BBC that the police were still trying to figure this out the identity of the woman’s spouse, who is accused of being a contributor to Nicholas’ death.
Video footage shows this Husband fled before police arrived.
There is currently no reward being offered for his arrest.
Three children were revived with Narcana drug that reverses an overdose of fentanyl after police were called to the Divino Niño daycare center on Friday evening (15).
One kilogram of fentanyl was discovered “under a carpet where the children were sleeping,” said NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny on Monday.
Grei Mendez, 36, the owner of the Divino Niño daycare center, and her neighbor, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, are charged with possession of narcotics “with the intent to distribute and to distribute them resulting in death,” according to federal prosecutors.
Security camera footage and phone records show that Mendez called Brito several times after finding out the children were sick before even contacting 911, the United States’ emergency number.
Then her husband came and picked up several full shopping bags from the daycare, authorities said.
Mendez also reportedly deleted 20,000 text messages from his phone before his arrestsaid the public prosecutor.
In retrospect, Authorities were able to recover the contents.
Mendez’s attorney said his client denied the allegations and did not know the drugs were being kept at the daycare.
According to police, the fentanyl stored there could have killed 500,000 people.
Municipal Health Surveillance Inspectors made a surprise visit to the daycare center on September 6thbut they found nothing wrong.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended the officers on Wednesday, telling NY1: “The inspector did his job. And we definitely shouldn’t give the impression that the inspector has failed these children and their families.”
“Who didn’t do their job?” he added. “These people who are supposed to protect the children there.”
2 of 2 Grei Mendez (photo) said that he did not know through his lawyer that there were drugs in the daycare center Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC Grei Mendez (photo) said that he did not know through his lawyer that there were drugs in gave drugs to the daycare center Photo: GETTY IMAGES via BBC
The father of a 2yearold boy who survived exposure to fentanyl told ABC News considered the presence of three men outside the building on Thursday and Friday suspicious.
Research shows that fentanyl has spread throughout the United States.
Among the drug deaths are These include an increasing number of very small children.
This weekend in Washington state In separate fentanylrelated incidents, one child died and two others became illreported the police.
All over the country, Prosecutors are filing charges against parents whose children died after taking the deadly drug.