THE BRONX, NEW YORK: Juan Ventura is the former husband of the owner of a daycare center in the Bronx. The owner, Grei Mendez De Ventura is facing legal charges after a 1-year-old child was apparently exposed to fentanyl while under her care.
Grei Mendez De Ventura who is originally from the Dominican Republic, entered the US through a green-card marriage to Juan, reported Radar Online.
The Bronx man's family stated that Mendez allegedly deceived him into marrying her with the sole aim of gaining US citizenship.
Grei Mendez De Ventura gave her former husband 'a very false impression'
Describing Mendez as a "very bad person," Ventura's sister said she was someone who contradicted her brother's lifestyle as she was only interested in partying.
"She gave a very false impression to my brother that she wanted to be married, so he brought her over from the DR for marriage."
"But when she got here, she just wanted to smoke hookah [and] to drink a lot. And my brother, he's not like that," said Ventura's sister, reported New York Post.
Mendez never showed interest in getting to know Ventura's family. Her behavior led Ventura's father to conclude that she was a "very, very, bad person."
Due to the "terribleness" of their marriage, the former couple ultimately divorced.
Following the divorce, the family completely stopped any form of contact with Mendez since then. Ventura's family heard about her only recently after a long time, when they learned about the tragic death of the young child at her daycare center.
Who were the victims of the Divino Nino Daycare incident?
Victims of the Divino Nino Daycare incident include 1-year-old Nicholas Feliz Dominici who died on September 15 after inhaling a dangerous amount of fentanyl while under the care of Mendez.
In addition to his tragic death, three other children were transported to a hospital after inhaling excess amounts of drugs.
Upon further investigation, authorities found that the daycare center run by Mendez was allegedly used as a front for illegal drug activities.
She and a man named Carlisto Acevedo Brito, who rented the apartment downstairs now face a total of 28 charges, including assault, murder, drug possession, child endangerment, and manslaughter, in connection with the horrifying incident.
Along with various other drug paraphernalia, law enforcement officials found a kilogram of fentanyl on the daycare premises, according to Radar Online.
