A couple from Palm Beach County, according to the prosecution, has entered a guilty plea to charges of being felons in unlawful possession of guns and distributing fentanyl, which caused the death of a 10-month-old girl.
Samantha Yi, 32, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to the counts of fentanyl distribution conspiracy and distribution of fentanyl that causes death. On July 25, her 31-year-old boyfriend Darnell Mendez entered a guilty plea to the same charges.
The Boynton Beach Police Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a lengthy cooperative investigation, according to the Department of Justice, into the death of a 10-month-old baby in Boynton Beach who consumed fentanyl. This investigation culminated in the plea deals.
A 911 call regarding a distressed infant was answered by PBSO on March 31, 2022. The baby and her mother were reportedly rushed to Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach, according to investigators.
The infant was moved to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood on April 1, but he passed away on April 5.
According to officials, the infant died from fentanyl poisoning and was killed in a homicide, according to an autopsy performed by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner.
Fentanyl was found at the baby’s residence during a homicide investigation by Boynton Beach police.
“The investigation determined that the baby’s mother and father were addicts and had been abusing fentanyl regularly in the kitchen of their apartment,” a statement from the DOJ said. “The investigation also determined that the baby was teething and ingested fentanyl on March 31, 2022, while in the care of her mother, and while her father was at work.”
Kelly Kirwan, the 32-year-old mother of the infant, was later taken into custody on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable neglect.
To find the drug dealers in charge of distributing the fentanyl that killed the baby, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) entered the inquiry.
Law enforcement identified Yi as the drug dealer using information and data taken from the mother’s mobile. According to the prosecution, the inquiry turned up months’ worth of electronic correspondence between Yi and the mother about drug transactions in which the mother was the buyer.
Further inquiry revealed that Mendez, Yi’s boyfriend, was also engaged in the fentanyl distribution network. Investigators discovered that on March 30, 2022, the mother went to Boynton Beach to buy fentanyl, and the infant died as a result of ingesting fentanyl.
Two undercover agents bought fentanyl from Yi and Mendez as part of an operation by the DEA, ATF, Boynton Beach police, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Following an undercover investigation, Yi and Mendez were apprehended on March 6 at their Lake Worth home, where authorities found fourteen weapons.
According to the DOJ, Yi and Mendez acknowledged in their plea deals that they were illegal criminals in possession of firearms.
A required minimum term of 20 years in jail and a possible penalty of life imprisonment await both offenders.
On October 29, Mendez will have a sentencing hearing. Yi has not yet had a scheduled sentence hearing.
