Court paperwork: Rochester baby who died had fentanyl wrapper in her mouth

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Court paperwork details two maintenance workers’ efforts to save a baby who was found lifeless inside a Rochester apartment after police say she ingested her father’s drugs.

The documents include the deposition of a maintenance man and a Rochester Police investigator.

Dianelis Brito died Jan. 30 at the hospital. Investigators say fentanyl and cocaine were in the 13-month-old’s system. Her father, Dillon Brito, is in the Monroe County Jail on a manslaughter charge. He’s also accused of trying to conceal evidence.

According to the criminal complaint, a maintenance man was doing work at Chatham Gardens last week when he heard someone crying and begging for help. He and another maintenance worker rushed into a third-floor apartment where they saw 13-month-old Dianelis on a sofa.

One of the workers, who is CPR-certified, tried to revive the baby.

“When I was doing CPR I saw something in the child’s mouth. It was blue and looked like paper. As I noticed the blue paper the father did too. He noticed it, stopped crying, and took it out of the child’s mouth. He folded it up and I don’t know what he did with it.”

Maintenance worker at Chatham Gardens

The worker told police he suspected the wrapper was used for narcotics. He said he kept doing CPR until the ambulance came.

“I asked him what happened, he said she, the child, was sleeping on his chest. When he got up the child was limp.”

Maintenance worker at Chatham Gardens

Rochester Police say that blue paper contained Brito’s narcotics, which he “used on a daily basis.” They say he used fentanyl in the morning and fell asleep with his daughter on the couch. According to the complaint:

“When he woke up a few hours later he realized that his daughter was not responsive and not breathing.”

Criminal complaint

According to investigators, when the maintenance worker removed the blue paper from his daughter’s mouth, he “concealed it in his pocket so that no one would find it.”

“During a recorded interview, the defendant admitted that the blue piece of paper in his daughter’s mouth was the same type of paper that his narcotics are packaged in.”

Criminal complaint

Brito was taken into custody on the day of Dianelis’ death on several outstanding warrants from Genesee County, where he grew up. He was released from custody on those warrants Friday, then was immediately taken into custody by Rochester Police on the manslaughter and tampering charges and remanded to Monroe County Jail.

Brito’s arraignment was held in Rochester City Court Saturday morning. He will remain in custody with no bail, due to him having more than two past felony charges, according to Judge Maija Dixon.

During his arraignment, prosecutors said he is a four-time felon. Those convictions include drug possession and robbery in Genesee County.

Brito’s next court date is set for Feb. 7.