In a daycare located in the Bronx, New York, a one-year-old child died, and three other children are hospitalized due to suspected exposure to fentanyl. A man and a woman have been arrested and face charges of murder and child endangerment.

The report was received last Friday through a 911 call, alerting the situation of the one-year-old child, Nicholas Dominicia, who was found unconscious and declared dead shortly after arriving at Montefiore Medical Center.

In addition to Nicholas's death, a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month-old girl were also found unconscious and were transported to the same medical center. The boy is in critical condition, while the girl remains stable, according to authorities. A third 2-year-old infant, who was also exposed to opioids, was taken to BronxCare Health System and is in stable condition.

Joseph Kenny, the chief detective of the New York Police Department, stated to the media that the mother of the third child noticed lethargic and concerning behavior in her son after picking him up from the daycare. She quickly took him to the hospital, where doctors administered Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, to save his life.

Rescuers also administered Narcan to the three children at the daycare, indicating a possible fentanyl exposure.

During a search at the daycare, the police found a "kilogram press," a device commonly used by drug traffickers to package large quantities of illicit substances. The relationship between the accused, 41-year-old Carlisto Acevedo Brito and 36-year-old Grei Méndez, and the daycare has not yet been established by authorities.

The daycare had a state license and had been inspected by officials from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on September 9, according to Ashwin Vasan, commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. No violations were found during that unannounced inspection of the daycare.

Mayor Eric Adams has described this incident as a "real wake-up call for people who have opioids or fentanyl in their homes." He emphasized the danger of these substances and their ability to be deadly even with minimal contact, especially for children. Investigations are ongoing.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics earlier this year revealed that opioids are the most common substance contributing to deaths by poisoning in children under 5 years old, accounting for over 47% of poisoning deaths in this age group between 2005 and 2018."

 

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