Bronx daycare providers sentenced to 25 to life in prison for fentanyl death of toddler

Bronx daycare providers sentenced to 25 to life in prison for fentanyl death of toddler Grei Mendez, 38, and Felix Herrera Garcia, 37, were found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of 22-month-old Nicholas Dominici. Nicholas Dominici, a 22-month-old who died from the effects of fentanyl at Divino Niño day care center. WNBC Share Add NBC News to Google March 4, 2026, 5:10 PM EST By Doha Madani Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 A New York City daycare owner and her husband were sentenced Wednesday in the fentanyl poisoning death of a 22-month-old boy in their care. A jury found Grei Mendez, 38, and Felix Herrera Garcia, 37, guilty of second-degree murder last year as well as assault in the New York case, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office. Mendez, who owned Divino Niño day care center, and her husband, Garcia, were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The couple are already serving a 45-year sentence after pleading guilty to federal drug charges in connection to the case. The state prison sentence from Wednesday will run concurrently with the federal sentence. Add NBC News to Google Three indicted on murder charges in Bronx day care death 01:47 In the state murder case, prosecutors told the court that there were large quantities of fentanyl being processed at the day care. The same kitchen tools that Mendez used to prepare the kids' food was used to process the fentanyl, the state said. The four children who fell sick in September 2023 were 22-month old Nicholas Dominici; 2-year-old Abel Garcia; Abel’s 8-month-old sister Kiara Garcia; and 2-year-old Jaziel Lino. Nicholas died from the exposure, while the other three children survived. Abel suffered a respiratory arrest but was revived at a hospital. His sister and Jaziel were treated for acute opioid intoxication. Add NBC News to Google Fentanyl stored at Bronx day care where 1-year-old died, prosecutors say 02:10 Mendez called her husband before calling 911 when she re...