Woman sentenced to 24 years for selling fentanyl that killed Boynton Beach baby

A Lake Worth Beach woman was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years in federal prison for her role in selling fentanyl to a mother whose infant ingested the drug and died in Boynton Beach in 2022.

Samantha Yi, 31, and her then-boyfriend Darnell Mendez, 32, packaged, prepared and distributed fentanyl together and regularly sold the deadly, potent drug to the 10-month-old girl’s mother and father, according to federal court records.

Yi had communicated with the baby’s mother the day before and on the same day that the infant ingested a deadly amount of the drug, according to a factual proffer in the case, the facts agreed on by the defense and prosecutors. The baby had no brain activity afterward and was removed from life support at a hospital.

Yi and Mendez were arrested in March 2024 after selling more than 130 grams of fentanyl to an undercover officer between December 2022 and December 2023. Mendez entered a plea agreement last year and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

News reports have identified the mother of the baby who died as Kelly Kirwan. Palm Beach County court records show she was charged in 2022 with one count of aggravated manslaughter of a child, and a plea conference hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.

Man who sold fentanyl that killed Boynton Beach infant sentenced to 30 years