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Two people have been charged with murder following theĀ death of a one-year-old child at a daycareĀ in New York City. The New York City Police Department said that children at daycare, which was run from a home in the Bronx, were exposed to fentanyl.
One-year-oldĀ Nicholas DominiciĀ died, and three other children had to be hospitalized.
Authorities arrested daycare operatorĀ Grei MendezĀ and her tenant,Ā Carlisto Acevedo Brito, on multiple charges, including murder, manslaughter, and assault. They were both ordered to be held without bond.
Investigators said that theĀ fentanyl was found in a closetĀ outside of Brito's room. They also found equipment used to package large quantities of drugs during a search of the premises.
Mendez's lawyer blamed Brito, who is her husband's cousin, for bringing the drugs into her home.
"Her only crime was renting her room to someone who had a kilo,"Ā attorneyĀ Andres ArandaĀ said. "There is no evidence that she did anything but care properly for these children."
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene CommissionerĀ Ashwin VasanĀ noted that the daycare center opened in January, and a surprise inspection on September 9 found no violations.
However, prosecutors accused Mendez of committing a "reckless, depraved act" for renting a room to Brito in a house being used as a daycare center.