A former daycare owner in the Bronx has been sentenced to 45 years after pleading guilty to several drug charges. The charges stem from the death of a 1-year-old who was exposed to fentanyl at the daycare.

Grei Mendez – the woman who owned and ran a Bronx day care where a 1-year-old boy died of fentanyl poisoning in a 2023 case that drew national attention – was sentenced to 45 years in prison Monday in a tearful proceeding in Manhattan federal court.

A former Bronx daycare owner has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a toddler died from ingesting fentanyl in September 2023.

Grei Mendez, 37, pleaded guilty to a slate of narcotics offenses in October, including drug distribution and possession, six days before she was set to go on trial for her participation in the