Calif. woman gets 6 years for child’s fatal fentanyl overdose
04/22/2026 8:00 pm PDT
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (TCN) -- A woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for her role in the fentanyl overdose death of a 10-year-old who lived at the same residence, according to authorities.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office announced that 33-year-old Christina Veronica Alvarez was sentenced to six years in state prison on April 20. On March 19, she pleaded no contest to one count of felony child abuse likely to cause great bodily harm.
In December 2024, police responded to a home after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Lifesaving measures were taken but the victim, Nathaniel Angel Castro Mendoza, was pronounced dead. The coroner’s office determined that Castro Mendoza had died of fentanyl and xylazine toxicity. An investigation found that Alvarez had stored fentanyl in such a manner that it caused the death of Castro Mendoza. A warrant was issued for her arrest and she was booked into jail on March 14, 2025, according to the sheriff’s office.
Patch.com reports that Alvarez was a girlfriend of Castro Mendoza’s uncle and that it is unclear how the child accessed the drug. NewsNation reports that the child enjoyed pro wrestling, baseball, and Captain America.
His parents, Marcy Castro and Miguel Mendoza, were interviewed by the outlet in June 2025 and said that their son had stopped breathing soon after dinner on the day of his death. The couple told the outlet they suspect that Alvarez tainted the child’s food on purpose. Castro said, “In my heart, I feel like maybe it was done purposely. Obviously, we can’t prove that. The only reason we feel that way is there was many other people in the household. And for some reason, only our son was affected by it.”
According to Patch.com, there was not enough evidence to bring a murder charge against Alvarez. KTTV reports that a motive behind the incident has not been released.
Following the sentencing, Castro shared a Facebook post honoring her son’s memory in which she said, “This is the only justice the system could give — but six years will never be enough for the life sentence our son received. It will never be enough for the lifetime of pain our family now carries. As parents, no one should ever have to bury their child. Nathaniel deserved to grow up. He deserved a future. Instead, his life was taken due to reckless decisions that changed ours forever. We are left living with a heartbreak that will never heal.”
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