A third person has been charged in the death a 1-year-old boy who became sick and died later from apparent opioid exposure at a day care center in the Bronx, New York, authorities said Monday.
Renny Antonio Parra Paredes, 38, of the Bronx, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death, according to a joint statement from Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; the New York Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the New York Police Department.
Parra Paredes conspired to distribute fentanyl from at least July to earlier this month, including at the Divino Niño day care center, authorities said.
It was not clear Monday night whether Parra Paredes had an attorney.
Officials say Parra Paredes and his alleged co-conspirators kept large quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl, on top of play mats and hidden in “traps” in the floor of the room where the children played and slept.
If he is convicted, he faces a mandatory sentence of 20 years to life in prison, authorities said.
Williams, the U.S. attorney, said in the statement that Parra Paredes’ arrest “is one more step toward obtaining justice for the child-victims of this heinous offense and their families.”
Grei Mendez, 36, the owner of the day care center, and Carlisto Acevedo Brito, 41, have been federally charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and possession with intent to distribute.
Mendez and Acevedo Brito also face charges in state court, including murder, manslaughter, assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
On Sept. 15, four children fell ill, and one died later, from fentanyl exposure at the day care center, authorities said.
Police have said officers discovered three children 8 months to 2 years old “unconscious and unresponsive.”
The children were administered Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote. Nicholas Dominici, 1, died at a hospital, police said. A fourth child, a 2-year-old boy who was also administered Narcan, was taken to a hospital by his mother, police said.