2 Plead Not Guilty In Bronx Daycare Fentanyl Poisoning: Report

BRONX, NY — Two of the people accused in the Divino Niño daycare fentanyl poisoning that killed one small child and injured three others last month pleaded not guilty at their arraignments Thursday, according to ABC7.

Multiple people stand accused of being involved in a drug ring out out of the daycare, where the accused kept drugs on top of play mats and "traps" in the floor where the daycare center's children played and slept, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams contends.

The daycare's operator, as well as her husband and her husband's cousin, were all indicted Thursday on charges of murder with depraved indifference to human life in connection with the overdose death of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici, ABC7 reported.

The daycare's owner Grei Mendez, 36, and her husband's cousin Carlisto Brito, 41, pleaded not guilty at the arraignment to second-degree murder, criminal possession of a controlled substance, manslaughter, assault and child endangerment charges, according to the report.

Mendez's husband Felix Herrera Garcia, 34, was arrested after attempting to outrun federal authorities by hiding in Mexico, officials said. He has since been returned to the United States and is awaiting arraignment later Thursday on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

Another person—Renny Anotio Parra Paredes, 38—stands accused of running the daycare drug ring and has been charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death. Details about his arraignment, which was reportedly last week, have not yet been released.

In addition to the 1-year-old boy killed, three children were hospitalized with serious injuries linked to fentanyl poisoning, Williams said.

The defendants — who officials say had been dealing fentanyl since July — spent the time between discovering the overdosing children and the arrival of emergency responders trying to get rid of the evidence, prosecutors contend.

The case "has shocked the conscience of a city already reeling from the devastating effects of the fentanyl epidemic," Williams said, adding that addressing the fentanyl epidemic is a "top priority" for him as a U.S. Attorney.

"We brought cases against the targets and cartels in Mexico that manufacture fentanyl, against individuals and companies in China that supply the cartels with precursor chemicals needed to make this poison, and we brought cases against the traffickers who moved the fentanyl through our streets," Williams said. "But this case is different."

"Parents entrusted Grei Mendez with the care of their children," Williams added. "Instead of diligently safeguarding the wellbeing of those children, she and her co-conspirators put them directly in harm’s way."