UPDATE | July 16 — Nicole Casias was sentenced to 22 years in the Department of Corrections on July 16. She pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
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UPDATE, April 4 — Alonzo Montoya was sentenced to 40 years in the Department of Corrections on April 4.
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BRIGHTON, Colo. — A 22-month-old Brighton girl is dead after ingesting “a significant amount of fentanyl” as her cries went unanswered for 14 hours, the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said.
Aviyana Montoya’s father, 33-year-old Alonzo Montoya, was convicted of child abuse resulting in death and violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act following a two-week trial in Adams County District Court, the DA's office announced on Tuesday.
Aviyana's mother, 32-year-old Nicole Casias was also indicted by an Adams County Grand Jury on the same charges. Her case is set for a jury trial in March.
Prosecutors said the pair were operating a drug dealing operation out of their Brighton Home, and home surveillance cameras showed drug-using activities before, during, and after Aviyana's death.
The toddler was found unresponsive in a crib in her room on Jan. 2, 2023. She was eventually pronounced dead by arriving paramedics.
The coroner determined that Aviyana, who was teething at the time, died as a result of ingesting a significant amount of fentanyl. She had 10 times the amount of the powerful drug in her system needed to kill an intolerant adult user. They also found traces of methamphetamines in her system.
Home surveillance cameras showed the little girl crying and struggling to breathe inside her crib before her death. No one checked on Aviyana for nearly 14 hours, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
"It is one of the most outrageous cases I have seen. My heart breaks for this little girl, who truly never had a chance. I am grateful to my team for seeing this case through as well as the Brighton Police Department and North Metro Task Force for their thorough investigative work. I thank the jury for sitting through the difficult facts in this case and delivering a just verdict on behalf of Aviyana," District Attorney Brian Mason said in a statement.
