Recent Arrest in Connection to Fentanyl-Related Toddler Death at Bronx Child Care Facility

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A suspect who absconded from a New York City child care facility, where a toddler lost his life due to suspected fentanyl poisoning, has been apprehended in California. This individual is the most recent to be charged in an investigation that revealed the facility to be operating as a narcotics laboratory amidst the area designated for toddler activities and rest.

For nearly two weeks, federal investigators were in pursuit of Felix Herrera Garcia, age 34, until he was eventually arrested by Mexican authorities and subsequently handed over to U.S. officials on Wednesday evening in California, as stated by federal prosecutors based in Manhattan. Prior to his capture, his spouse, who managed the child care center, along with two other male suspects, had already been taken into custody.

Herrera Garcia was presented before a federal court this past Thursday and has been ordered to be extradited to New York, as confirmed by the U.S. attorney’s office in the southern district of California.

The search for Herrera Garcia commenced shortly after a one-year-old child, identified as Nicholas Dominici, abruptly passed away in the Bronx-based facility. Concurrently, during a scheduled nap period, other youngsters at the facility displayed signs of opioid toxicity and were promptly resuscitated using the antidote drug, Narcan.

Upon investigation, law enforcement officials uncovered a block of fentanyl positioned atop children’s playmats, in addition to equipment commonly employed for drug packaging.

Subsequent scrutiny revealed a hidden trapdoor located in a play area, beneath which additional drug packages and related paraphernalia were discovered.

According to the official complaint lodged against Herrera Garcia, it has been reported that his wife, Grei Mendez, contacted him prior to alerting emergency services on September 15, when the children began exhibiting signs of hazardous opioid exposure.

Footage from security cameras illustrated Herrera Garcia entering the facility before medical personnel had arrived, and shortly thereafter exiting through a rear alley, carrying two filled shopping bags.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has stated that Herrera Garcia “absconded from the facility even while the children he had left behind were grappling with the lethal consequences of his illicit activities.”

Mendez is reported to have subsequently erased in excess of 21,000 text messages that she had exchanged with her husband, as per the prosecutors’ account.

As of the latest update, it remains uncertain whether Herrera Garcia has legal representation who could provide commentary on the matter. No attorney was listed in the court records as of late Thursday. Counsel for Mendez has indicated that she was not cognizant of the presence of narcotics within the facility.

Both Mendez and another individual residing in the same building as the child care center, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, have been charged in a state court with murder in relation to the child’s demise. On the preceding Monday, Renny Antonio Parra Paredes was charged with the distribution of narcotics resulting in death.

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More about Fentanyl-related toddler death

• Official Statement from U.S. Attorney’s Office
• New York State Court Records
• Bronx Child Care Facility Investigation
• Fentanyl Poisoning and its Impact on Children
• Federal Drug Charges Explained
• Narcotics Distribution Laws
• Security Camera Footage Analysis
• Text Message Deletion and Legal Implications