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A New Horizons Resources employee has been charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death of a 26-year-old resident with autism who died after being left in a hot van for nearly five hours.
Owen Ekpo, 66, of Poughkeepsie, was arrested Wednesday following an indictment by a Dutchess County grand jury. The charges stem from the August 4, 2025 death of Thomas Anderson, who was found deceased in the back seat of a transportation van at the New Horizons facility in Hyde Park.
According to prosecutors, Ekpo was responsible for transporting Anderson and other residents from their shared residential home on Cream Street to a New Horizons day program on West Road in Pleasant Valley. Anderson, who was nonverbal and required round-the-clock supervision due to severe intellectual disabilities and autism, was allegedly left in the vehicle when Ekpo failed to remove him and escort him into the building.
Investigators say Ekpo then drove back to the residential facility around 9:15 a.m., parked the van in direct sunlight with the windows closed and doors locked, and left for the day. The outside temperature reached 84 degrees. Staff members discovered Anderson's body in the vehicle around 2 p.m., approximately five hours later.
"The Indictment alleges that the defendant, who was entrusted with the care and supervision of a highly vulnerable individual, failed to perform the most basic and required safety checks, with devastating consequences," District Attorney Anthony Parisi stated. "Mr. Anderson depended entirely on others for his safety."
An autopsy conducted by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office determined Anderson died from environmental heat exposure, according to State Police.
Ekpo was arraigned in Dutchess County Court where he pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held at the Dutchess County Jail on $75,000 cash bail, $150,000 bond, or $250,000 partially-secured bond. His next court date is scheduled for March 4, 2026.
New Horizons Resources serves over 200 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through its residential and day programs in Dutchess and Ulster counties.