Maine Father Charged With Manslaughter in Toddler Death
Shane McLaughlin faces charges after his 13-month-old daughter died of hypothermia in a Milford bedroom during a cold snap.
By Ivan Mori ·
Police arrested a father in Milford, Maine, on Wednesday after a ten-month probe into his infant daughter's death.
Shane McLaughlin, 37, now faces one count of manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment. Authorities say the 13-month-old, Eleanora Ray McLaughlin, died from hypothermia on December 28, 2025. The family home sat in outside temperatures that dropped to 13 degrees Fahrenheit that night.
McLaughlin told investigators that a pet opened the bedroom door, allowing cold air to enter the room where he and his children were sleeping. The room had been heated by a space heater. He stated he could see his own breath in the cold air. He found his daughter dead after waking her with a package of Pop-Tarts.
Erika Dupuis, the child's mother, obtained a report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The document shows their two other children were in the house when Eleanora died. Dupuis noted that DHHS had finished a separate investigation involving the couple's twin girls only six days before the toddler passed away.
State Sen. Jeffrey Timberlake, a Republican from Androscoggin County, is working with two other lawmakers to press DHHS for answers. The group wants officials to appear before the Government Oversight Committee. As of this week, no hearings have been scheduled to address the department's handling of the case.
