Father found guilty in Brighton toddler’s fentanyl death

The father of a 22-month-old Brighton girl who died after ingesting 10 times the lethal dose of fentanyl was found guilty of child abuse resulting in death, racketeering and other charges by an Adams County jury on Monday.

Alonzo Ray Montoya, 33, was found guilty on all charges, including child abuse resulting in death, two counts of child abuse by knowing exposure to controlled substance manufacturing and child abuse resulting in no injury.

He was also found guilty of a pattern of racketeering and conspiracy to commit a pattern of racketeering under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act.

His daughter, Aviyana Ramone Montoya, was found unresponsive in her crib the afternoon of Jan. 2, 2022, nearly 14 hours after she was placed there by her parents.

Alonzo Ray Montoya was accused of running a drug-dealing operation out of the home, with home surveillance video showing drugs being sold and used before, during and after Aviyana’s death, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Aviyana’s mother, Nicole Danielle Casias, faces the same charges and is set for a jury trial on March 11.

Surveillance videos from the home showed Aviyana playing on the bed in the master bedroom where people were using drugs, according to the district attorney’s office.

She was teething and was seen placing items in and around her mouth, and after she was placed in her crib around midnight, cried and struggled to breathe before her death, according to the district attorney’s office.

No one checked on her for 14 hours until she was found unresponsive and not breathing on the afternoon of Jan. 2. After paramedics arrived and attempted to resuscitate her, she was pronounced dead.