POUGHKEEPSIE -The 49-year-old man who caused the fentanyl-related death of his 16-month-old daughter in 2021 is going to prison. Haitham Dasan, in a plea deal with the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, agreed to a sentence of 2-4 years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide on Tuesday.
In Dutchess County Court, Dasan admitted that he used a straw that touched fentanyl that he had in a plastic container before preparing food and feeding his daughter. The food was contaminated by fentanyl. An autopsy of Soraiya Dasan was conducted along with a toxicology report, which determined the young child’s cause of death was from acute fentanyl intoxication.
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“This plea to criminally negligent homicide ensures that the defendant is held accountable for conduct that resulted in the tragic and entirely preventable death of a 16-month-old child,” said District Attorney Anthony Parisi. “This is a case that, despite its seriousness, was not advanced by the prior administration.” After Parisi took office, his staff revisited the case, took another look at the evidence and worked with the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department to advance the case.
“No family should be left without answers, and no case of this magnitude should remain unresolved. Throughout this process, the strength and perseverance of the child’s mother have been extraordinary, and her advocacy played an important role in ensuring accountability,” Parisi explained.
The incident occurred on April 12, 2021, in the early afternoon at 75 Oakdale Avenue in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
Dasan is slated to receive his prison sentence from Judge Edelman-Reyes on May 20, 2026.
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