Mother indicted on murder charges after missing 5-year-old son found dead in Massachusetts

Attorney General John M. Formella announces that 35-year-old Danielle Dauphinais has been indicted on multiple charges in connection with the murder of 5-year-old Elijah Lewis in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

On April 15, 2022, the Hillsborough County Grand Jury – Southern District returned indictments charging Danielle Dauphinais with one count of first-degree murder for purposely causing the death of Elijah Lewis; one count of second degree murder for causing the death of Elijah Lewis recklessly with extreme indifference to the value of human life; and three counts of tampering with witnesses.

Danielle Dauphinais continues to be held without bail. An arraignment will be scheduled in Hillsborough County Superior Court –– Southern District in Nashua.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Massachusetts determined that the manner of Elijah’s death was homicide. The cause of Elijah’s death was determined to be violence and neglect, including facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers.

The human remains of Lewis were discovered buried in the ground in a wooded area in Abington, Massachusetts late last year.

Dauphinais and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Joseph Stapf, were originally charged with Witness Tampering and Child Endangerment.