The mother of a 22-month-old Brighton girl who died from a fentanyl overdose in 2022 pleaded guilty Thursday to drug and child abuse charges
Nicole Danielle Casias, 32, pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death and drug possession with intent to distribute in a disposition hearing, according to court records.
Casias was arrested in January 2022 after her daughter, Aviyana Montoya, was found unresponsive in her crib.
Investigators found that Aviyana ingested 10 times the amount of fentanyl needed to kill an adult and that she was in the same room while her parents used and sold drugs. No one checked on her for nearly 14 hours.
Aviyana’s father, Alonzo Ray Montoya, was convicted of child abuse resulting in death, racketeering and other charges in January and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Casias will be sentenced on July 16, according to court records.
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