Maine man charged after toddler dies

Shane McLaughlin, 37, was arrested in Milford, Maine, on Wednesday. He faces one count of manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment. The charges follow a nearly 10-month investigation into the death of his daughter, Eleanora Ray McLaughlin.

Eleanora died on December 28, 2025, at the family home. Outside temperatures that day reached 13 degrees. McLaughlin told authorities he woke to find their sleeping room cold. He claimed a pet had left the door open to the space heater. He said he could see his own breath in the air.

McLaughlin stated that he grabbed a package of Pop-Tarts to wake Eleanora. He found her dead. A report from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, obtained by the child's mother, Erika Dupuis, confirms that two other children were in the home at the time of the death.

Dupuis noted that DHHS had closed a separate investigation involving their twin girls just six days before Eleanora died. State Sen. Jeffrey Timberlake, R-Androscoggin, is leading a group of three lawmakers pressing DHHS for accountability. The officials have asked state health officials to appear before the Government Oversight Committee. No hearings have been scheduled yet.