Protests over death of 20-year-old autistic man

LANGHORNE, Pa. - July 29, 2010

They demanded answers for the death of Bryan Nevins, the young autistic man who died last week after being left inside a scorching van parked on the campus.

"I'm outraged that nobody has been arrested. This kid should never have died," protestor Cassie James Holdsworth said.

"We want answers to questions; we want to know why this kid was left in a van for 5 hours and died," protestor Johnny Crescendo said.

Authorities say Nevins and three other residents had just returned from the Sesame Place water park when the 20-year-old was left behind.

About 5 hours later, with temperatures hovering around 100, a nurse finally realized Nevins wasn't in his room and made the grisly discovery.

"No matter how much good they can do, the environment is not the environment for people, it's a warehouse, it's like treating human beings like animals," protestor Colleen Tomko said.

Woods initially suspended two counselors, but in a statement today, the dependent care facility said it had reinstated one of them. An unidentified female remains under investigation.

The Pennsylvania Department of Welfare says Woods was cited for two violations during its license renewal, but they were minor bookkeeping errors.

Last year, a 17-year-old was killed after he ran from the campus and was hit by a car, but state investigators found no wrongdoing by Woods.

The company declined a request for an interview.

Action News spoke with Bucks County District Attorney David Hechler. He says so far no charges have been filed, but this investigation continues. He is considering charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and neglect.

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