CONCORD, N.H. — A 5-year-old New Hampshire boy who went missing and was found dead in Massachusetts died of “violence and neglect,” and his death was a homicide, according to autopsy results released Monday.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Massachusetts determined Elijah Lewis suffered “facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers.”
A state police cadaver dog found the body of Elijah buried in the woods in Abington on Oct. 23, about 20 miles south of Boston.
Elijah was last seen at his home in Merrimack, New Hampshire, sometime within 30 days before that. The New Hampshire Division for Children Youth and Families notified police on Oct. 14 that Elijah was missing. The agency’s involvement with the boy is unclear.
Elijah’s mother, Danielle Dauphinais, 35, and a man with her, Joseph Stapf, 30, were arrested last month in New York and pleaded not guilty to witness tampering and child endangerment charges related to the case.
They both remain jailed and are scheduled to appear in court in December.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
