Owner's husband charged in Bronx nursery fentanyl child death

Police released a photo of the suspect leaving the daycare

The husband of the owner of a New York City nursery where a child died of suspected fentanyl poisoning has been charged with the death, officials say.

Felix Herrera Garcia was on the run after he was caught on camera fleeing the Bronx nursery with large bags.

He is the fourth person to be charged following the death of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici this month.

Police found a large quantity of fentanyl and other drugs under a trapdoor at the nursery.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration and Mexican officials arrested Mr Herrera Garcia on Tuesday on a bus in Sinaloa, Mexico.

US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that the latest arrest "reflects our tireless pursuit of Herrera, who fled the daycare even as the children he abandoned inside were suffering from his poisonous trade".

He has been charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death.

Nicholas Dominici had been at the Divino Niño nursery for just a week when he was exposed to fentanyl hidden in the nap room, police said.

Four children were exposed to fentanyl at a Bronx nursery

Three other children were admitted to hospital after being exposed to the powerful narcotic. An analysis of urine from one of the victims confirmed the presence of the drug.

The nursery's owner, Grei Mendez, 36, and her tenant, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, are facing federal charges of narcotics possession with intent to distribute resulting in death, as well as conspiracy charges. Both face life in prison if convicted.

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A lawyer for Ms Mendez has said she denies the charges and was unaware that drugs were being kept in the nursery.

Surveillance footage and phone records show that after finding the children ill, Ms Mendez called her husband, Mr Herrera Garcia, several times before contacting 911. Her husband then came and removed several full shopping bags from the nursery, officials said.

In the indictment, prosecutors said Mr Herrera Garcia was seen on video "moving swiftly" out a backdoor of the apartment building where the nursery is located.

"Instead of following the paved alleyway behind the daycare's building, Herrera Garcia hurried through overgrown grass and bushes to exit the area," prosecutors said.

On Monday, a third arrest was made in the case. Officials say Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, helped run a drug trafficking operation from the Divino Niño daycare centre.

During a search of the suspect's home, police say they found a stamp that was used to mark drug packages as well as devices used to prepare narcotics.

The incident shocked residents in the north-western Kingsbridge Heights neighbourhood of the Bronx, which had the highest rate of deaths from drug overdoses out of all New York City boroughs in 2021.