The father of a toddler who died of a fentanyl overdose at a daycare in New York City has opened up about his grief as three people face charges in connection with the minor’s death.
Twenty-two-month-old Nicholas Dominici died on 15 September after he and three other children at the Bronx home-based daycare centre Divino Niño were exposed to the lethal drug, authorities said last month. During a press conference to announce indictments in the case, Nicholas’ grief-stricken father Otoniel Feliz said that his son had just spent a few days at the daycare when the tragedy unfolded.
“He was only there for five days. I was hoping, four years from now, to get his kindergarten graduation photo,” Mr Feliz said in Spanish as he broke down in tears while holding a small picture of his late son, per ABC. “But now this is all I have left.”
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said that daycare owner Grei Mendez, 36, her husband Felix Herrera Garcia, 34, and her tenant Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, were arraigned Thursday and ordered held without bail.
“I know that we will get justice,” Mr Feliz said. “But even then, I will never get my son back.”
Mr Feliz said that his family’s trust had been broken and asked the city to allocate a budget to support families who opt to care for their infants at home. He said that he is aware of how Nicholas’ story has impacted other parents’ trust and now wants to raise that petition in honour of his son.
The grieving father also said that city authorities should not alert daycare centres to scheduled inspections. Mr Feliz encouraged working parents to enrol their children at daycares if needed but advised that they should be cautious and check the centres themselves to ensure they are safe.
“I was afraid of my son being touched inappropriately when he started at that daycare,” Mr Otoniel said. “That had been the very reason why I worked hard so my wife could stay at home caring for our other children. But due to our difficult financial situation, we had to send Nicholas to daycare.”
Otoniel Feliz speaks out as three people are indicted in his son’s fentanyl overdose— (ABC)
The Divino Niño centre, which was advertised for children between 6 weeks and 12 years old, was licenced under the city’s Department of Children and Family Services. It had passed all inspections without violations, including a surprise visit by city authorities on 6 September.
“We feel betrayed by that daycare,” Mr Feliz said. “Because they would send us photos, would send us text messages with everything that happened throughout the day. We trusted them because we saw it was a place that would keep us informed.”
The three suspects in the case were arrested last month on charges including murder, manslaughter and assault. They have also been charged with narcotics possession with intent to distribute resulting in death and conspiracy to distribute narcotics at the federal level.
Suspects hid ‘large quantities’ of fentanyl underneath floorboards at the Divino Niño daycare in the Bronx, prosecutors say— (Department of Justice)
“This is a catastrophe,” Mr Clark said. “Our sorrow is matched only by the outrage because these babies were used as shields to protect a narcotics operation.”
Investigators said a kilogram of fentanyl was found in a closet in the daycare centre and 6 kilograms of fentanyl, heroin and other controlled substances were found under a trap door in the floor beneath a padded mat where children napped.
A kilo of fentanyl was found in a hallway closet outside Mr Brito’s room, which he rented from Ms Mendez for $200 a week, according to investigators. Police said that three kilo presses, a device used for packaging large quantities of narcotics, were also found inside the daycare.
Investigators believe that the children inhaled fentanyl particles during their daylong exposure to the drug before they were found unconscious and the alarm was raised.
