POUGHKEEPSIE – A Town of Poughkeepsie man was sentenced Wednesday to spend between two and four years in state prison after pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide on March 17. Haitham Dasan, 49, admitted to causing the death of his young daughter by allowing her to come into contact with lethal amounts of fentanyl.
On April 12, 2021, at Dasan’s Oakdale Avenue residence in the Town of Poughkeepsie, Soraiya Dasan died after being exposed to fentanyl. Haitham Dasan admitted in court that he prepared food and fed his daughter food tainted with fentanyl. An autopsy of Soraiya Dasan determined that the girl’s cause of death was acute fentanyl intoxication.
The previous district attorney refused to prosecute the case, citing a lack of evidence. Dutchess County DA Anthony Parisi vowed to re-examine cases such as this one, and prosecute the offenders. .
Parisi said, “For far too long, this case remained unresolved despite the profound loss suffered by this family and the seriousness of the allegations. My administration made the deliberate decision to re-examine the evidence, follow the facts wherever they led, and move this matter forward in pursuit of justice. Cases involving the death of a child demand accountability and action, not delay. The loss of a child is profound and leaves a permanent scar not only on a family but also on the first responders, investigators, medical personnel, and prosecutors who are called upon to confront these tragedies firsthand. The impact of responding to the death of a child does not simply go away. These are scenes and experiences that stay with those involved for the rest of their lives.”
Acknowledging the renewed investigation, Parisi said, “I also want to commend the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department for their diligence, professionalism, and continued commitment to this investigation. Their work, coupled with the dedication of the prosecutors and investigators involved, helped ensure that this matter did not remain unresolved.”
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