Daycare Horror: NYC Owner Sentenced to 45 Years After Toddler’s Tragic Fentanyl Death

What was supposed to be a safe haven for children turned into the scene of an unthinkable tragedy. A Bronx daycare owner has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a 22-month-old boy died from fentanyl exposure in her facility—a heartbreaking case that has left families shattered and a community demanding justice.

A Parent’s Worst Nightmare

On the morning of September 15, 2023, parents dropped off their little ones at Divino Niño Daycare in the Bronx, never imagining the horror that would unfold just hours later.

By early afternoon, emergency responders rushed to the daycare, finding four children unresponsive. One of them, Nicholas Feliz-Dominici, was barely breathing. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors couldn’t save him.

Three other children, including an 8-month-old baby, were given Narcan, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses. They survived—but they had been poisoned by something that should have never been anywhere near a daycare.

A Shocking Discovery

After searching the daycare, investigators discovered something gruesome. Enough fentanyl and heroin to kill half a million people were concealed under trap doors and under floors. Even more unsettling was the fact that a fentanyl bag had been placed just on top of kids’ play mats.

This daycare had been utilized as a front for drug trafficking, endangering innocent lives because it was not a safe place for children to learn and develop.

A Grieving Family Speaks Out

In the courtroom, Nicholas’s parents, Zoila Dominici and Otoniel Feliz, struggled to hold back tears as they spoke about their son.

“We lost our life the day we lost Nicholas,” Zoila said. Otoniel, devastated, added, “We are living, but we are not alive.”

No words could capture the pain of losing a child in such a senseless, preventable way.

Justice, But No Relief

Grei Mendez, the 37-year-old daycare owner, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute narcotics resulting in death. The judge sentenced her to 45 years in federal prison, the same sentence given to her husband, Felix Herrera-Garcia, who was also involved in the drug operation.

Mendez, through tears, apologized to the families, saying she never intended for this to happen. But prosecutors made it clear: she chose to cover up the crime instead of protecting the children in her care.

A Wake-Up Call for Parents Everywhere

This heartbreaking case has left parents wondering—if a daycare can secretly be a drug front, how can they truly trust where they leave their children?

The fentanyl crisis has devastated communities across the country, but this case hits differently. It proves that the dangers of opioids are reaching even the most innocent spaces.

As the Bronx mourns Nicholas’s tragic death, one thing is clear: no parent should ever have to question whether their child’s daycare is truly a safe place.