A New Hampshire woman is preparing to plead guilty

A New Hampshire woman is preparing to plead guilty in the death of her 5-year-old son, according to court documents. Danielle Dauphinais, 38, today, will plead guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of witness tampering in the death of her son Elijah Lewis. She faces up to 55 years in prison. The child was discovered missing and found dead in October 2021 in a Massachusetts park. He suffered facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers. Dauphinais’ boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence and witness tampering in 2022 in connection with the boy’s death. He was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison. Prosecutors said Elijah was starved, neglected and physically abused. When Elijah died, the couple put his body in a container and brought him to Ames Nowell State Park in Abington, Massachusetts, where Stapf dug a hole and buried him. Prosecutors said that when Elijah was found, he was 3 feet (0.91 meters) tall and weighed 19 pounds. When Elijah was still missing, Stapf and Dauphinais were arrested in New York on charges of witness tampering and child endangerment. Days after their arrest, Elijah’s remains were found.