Aviyana Casias never had a chance to experience her second year of life.

Her mother, 31-year-old Nicole Casias, was sentenced by 17th Judicial District Judge Kyle Seedorf on Tuesday to 22 years in prison for Aviyana’s drug-poisoning death after pleading guilty to child abuse resulting in death, a Class 2 felony, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a third-degree drug felony. 

Aviyana was found unresponsive in her crib on Jan. 2, 2022 with what the Brighton County coroner said was 10 times the amount of fentanyl it would take to kill an adult who had no tolerance for the drug. Methamphetamine was also found in the child’s system.

In April, the child’s father, 33-year-old Alonzo Montoya, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for her death.

Aviyana Casias was just a couple of months shy of two years when first responders found her unresponsive.

Home surveillance video showed that she was left unchecked for 14 hours after likely ingesting the fentanyl and methamphetamine, while the drugs were being used and sold in her parents’ Brighton apartment. 

Before she was put into her crib that night, the video showed the teething child playing on a bed in the master bedroom at around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2022. According to 17th Judicial District prosecutors, Aviyana was seen placing items in and around her mouth, as people used and bought drugs nearby. 

Seventeenth Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason called Aviyana’s death one of the “most outrageous cases” he’d ever seen.

An Adams County jury heard from police officers, members of the North Metro Task force, and doctors, who talked about fentanyl and amphetamines. The jurors also heard from drug associates of Montoya, and they watched the surveillance videos from inside the home.

The case hit a roadblock when an Adams County District Court Judge dismissed the first-degree murder charge, but the cases eventually proceeded to trial. 

Aviyana Casias was thought to be the first and youngest person who died of fentanyl poisoning that year.