A 41-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman have been arrested following the opioid-related death of a one-year-old baby boy and the hospitalization of three other babies following an apparent multiple overdose situation on Friday, Sept. 15, at Kingsbridge Heights-based Divino Niño Daycare Center, as previously reported.

 

Police said late on Saturday, Sept. 16, that pursuant to the ongoing investigation, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, of 2705 Morris Avenue in The Bronx and Grei Mendez, 36, also of 2705 Morris Avenue, The Bronx were arrested earlier that evening at around 8 p.m.

When asked, NYPD said the woman arrested is the daycare center owner. Asked if the second person arrested was her husband/partner, police did not confirm but said he lived in another apartment in the same building.

 

Click here to view a video of both defendants leaving the 52nd Precinct on Webster Avenue in Norwood on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 17.

Brito Acevedo has been charged with murder (depraved indifference), manslaughter of a person under 11 years of age, manslaughter recklessly causing death, four counts of assault causing injury through risk of death, four counts of assault causing injury during a felony, four counts of assault causing serious injury, four counts of assault recklessly causing serious injury, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance/narcotic, criminal possession of a narcotic drug, and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Mendez was charged with murder (depraved indifference), manslaughter of a person under 11 years of age, manslaughter by recklessly causing death, four counts of assault causing injury through risk of death, four counts of assault causing injury during a felony, four counts of assault causing serious injury, four counts of assault recklessly causing serious injury, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance/narcotic, criminal possession of a narcotic drug and four counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

 

A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Read our previous story on the incident, including the reaction of New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other City officials here.

 

Divino Niño Daycare Center, with an address of 2707 Morris Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, is adjoined to and has the same Super as at 2705 Morris Avenue, where the two people who have been arrested lived. As reported, neighbors said the owner of the daycare center lived in the same building where it was run and that it was run out of her private home.

 

The defendants did not speak as they left the precinct.

The sign which had previously been affixed to the building on Morris Avenue for the daycare center has since been removed. A small candlelit, floral memorial along with a toy truck was seen outside the building on Sunday, Sept. 17.

 

During a separate event in Kingsbridge Heights at the Kingsbridge Armory also on Sunday, local Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), herself a young mother, held a moment’s silence for the one-year-old baby who died at the daycare center on Sept. 15 and who, as reported, has been identified as Nicholas Dominici of West Kingsbridge Road in The Bronx.

 

“We lost a baby, [a] one-year-old, right around the corner on Kingsbridge on Friday,” Sanchez said. “His name was Nicholas, and I want us to just hold a moment of silence for Nicholas and for his family.” She also offered some words of support and comfort to the families of the other babies affected by the tragedy.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark was also present at the same event. We asked her if the prosecution had a strong case. “We’re investigating,” she said. “We have a case. They were arraigned today, and we look forward to getting justice.”

 

For his part, Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), who was also present at the event, also offered his sympathies, saying he planned to meet with Nicholas’s family on Monday before his return to Washington D.C. He told Norwood News, “It’s a tragic event and I’m very concerned about fentanyl and the impact that its having. It seems that it has no boundaries. It winds up in a daycare in our community so I know the police have made some arrests and so, I’m waiting to see more information from the police department on the arrests.

 

Asked if he had some words for the affected families, he said, “It deeply hurt me to hear the news, especially a baby, so young, and three children as well. It shook me up, really, to hear about it and I’m going to give them all the support that they need.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story included information shared by the NYPD regarding the ownership structure of the daycare center which has since been disputed. We have therefore removed this information pending further clarification.  

 

Read our other stories on the unfolding of this tragedy here, here, here, here, here, and here.

 

Read our previous stories on Narcan kit training here and here.

 

NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) provides training and regularly updated information on how to obtain and administer naloxone (Narcan). Click here for more information.

 

A link to a legitimate GoFundMe page, set up by Nicholas’ parents to help with their financial expenses in the wake of the tragedy, can be found in our previous story here.

 

*David Greene contributed to this story.