Wed Mar 05 01:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Bronx Daycare Owner Sentenced to 45 Years for Child’s Death After Fentanyl Poisoning
**New York, NY** – Grei Mendez, 37, the owner of a Bronx daycare, was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Monday for her role in the fentanyl poisoning of four toddlers, one of whom died. Mendez pleaded guilty late last year to possessing and conspiring to distribute narcotics resulting in serious injury and death.
The incident, which occurred in 2023, saw three toddlers become seriously ill and a 22-month-old, Nicholas Feliz Dominici, die after ingesting fentanyl at the Divino Niño daycare, operated out of Mendez’s apartment.
While claiming ignorance about the presence of narcotics in the daycare, court documents revealed Mendez attempted to delete tens of thousands of text and voice messages from her phone while being questioned by police. Recovered messages, according to federal prosecutors, implicated Mendez and her husband, Felix Herrera Garcia (who fled the scene), in drug trafficking.
Judge Jed S. Rakoff, in handing down the sentence, criticized Mendez for prioritizing her own fear of legal repercussions over the lives of the poisoned children. He stated that her failure to act promptly to help the children placed her self-preservation “above the opportunity to save a life.”
The case sparked public outrage and grief, prompting investigations into how a daycare could operate as a drug stash house. The incident left parents and officials demanding answers and accountability.
First Piper 