The owner of the Bronx daycare where a one-year-old boy died after inhaling fentanyl called two alleged accomplices in drug operations before calling 911.
Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, reportedly called three people before calling police after Nicholas Feliz Dominici and three other children were exposed to fentanyl Friday afternoon.
The New York Post reported that the daycare owner called her husband, who has been a “key player” in the drug ring, her cousin and neighbor Carlisto Acevedo Brito, and a friend before seeking medical attention around 3:30 p.m.
By the time emergency services arrived and took the one-year-old to hospital, he was pronounced dead after his first week at daycare.
A police source said: ‘She wasted precious minutes worrying about herself and the drug dealers.
“When she should have been most concerned about saving the lives of these innocent babies.”
Grei Mendez De Ventura, 36, reportedly called three people before calling for help after Nicholas Feliz Dominici and three other children were exposed to fentanyl Friday afternoon
It was Nicholas Feliz Dominici’s (PHOTO) first week at Divino Nino Childcare and his parents had put him on a waiting list for it after it was recommended to them
After the Bronx daycare was raided Friday, police discovered “a kilogram of fentanyl in an area used to give the children naps,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told The New York Post on Monday.
The investigation is still ongoing and authorities believe the daycare basement was used as the main hub for the drug operation
According to a source, Ventura’s husband was seen on surveillance footage coming into the daycare through the back door, staying there for a while and then leaving with a large bag full of what is believed to be “several kilos of illegal drugs.” .
She and her husband then spoke on the phone several times after he left.
The three other children who “ingested fentanyl” were taken to the hospital and survived, although one of them is in critical condition, according to police.
Brito, 41, and Ventura were both arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, drug possession and child endangerment.
The whereabouts of Ventura’s husband are unknown. The nursery on Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge had just passed an inspection, according to the inspectorate The New York Post.
The boy’s distressed father said: ‘Apparently the house passed all inspections and supposedly that apartment was only intended for daycare centers, but rumor has it that, as we heard, they also rented rooms.’
Before his son went there, he was put on a waiting list after the home daycare center came highly recommended to him and his wife Zoila Dominici.
Ventura’s neighbor and cousin Carlisto Acevedo Brito and her were arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, assault, drug possession and child endangerment
An NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Monday that they are still looking for De Ventura’s husband, who also lived next door to her daycare.
The boy’s distressed father said: ‘Apparently the place passed all inspections and supposedly that apartment was just for daycares, but rumor has it that from what we heard they rented rooms too’
New York Mayor Eric Adams said Monday, “They (inspectors) did their job. Those who weren’t doing their jobs were the people who were there to protect the children. Everything seemed normal based on the standards we put in place to ensure this is not happening in a safe environment.”
After the Bronx daycare was raided Friday, police discovered “a kilogram of fentanyl in an area used to give the children naps,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny told The New York Post on Monday.
Three ‘kilogram press devices’, which are used to package large quantities of drugs, were also found.
As the drugs were cut off and released into the air at the daycare center, the innocent children inhaled them.
Narcan was administered to some of the affected children.
Several neighbors reported that the daycare itself was known as a drug front, as they rarely saw children entering and leaving, and mostly saw adults.
A 69-year-old neighbor who remained anonymous told The New York Post: “A daycare with no children and men walking in and out. Yes, we knew something. “We knew something, something wasn’t right happening there,” she said.
According to The New York Post, the daycare center on Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge had just passed inspection
As the drugs were cut off and released into the air at the daycare center, the innocent children inhaled them. Narcan was administered to some of the affected children
Anna Ortiz, 73, who lives in the building next to the drug-invested childcare center, told DailyMail.com exclusively that she is “sickened” about the fatal situation.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said Monday, “They (inspectors) did their job. Those who weren’t doing their jobs were the people who were there to protect the children.
“Everything seemed normal based on the standards we set, especially in a safe environment.”
An NYPD spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Monday that they are still looking for De Ventura’s husband, WHe also lived with her next to the daycare center.
The investigation is ongoing and authorities believe the daycare basement was used as the main hub for the drug operation.