Maine Father Charged After 13-Month-Old Daughter Dies From Hypothermia in Freezing Bedroom

A Maine father has been charged with manslaughter nearly 10 months after his 13-month-old daughter died from hypothermia inside the family home during the winter.

Shane McLaughlin, 37, was arrested on October 28 in connection with the death of his daughter, Eleanora Ray McLaughlin, who died on December 28, 2025, at the family’s home in Milford, Maine.

According to Maine State Police, McLaughlin faces one count of manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment. The charges followed a months-long investigation and an autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Officials determined that Eleanora died from hypothermia, although her death was initially classified as accidental.

McLaughlin had previously spoken publicly about the night his daughter died. In an interview with NEWS CENTER Maine in December 2025, he said he was sleeping in a bedroom with Eleanora and his other children when he noticed how cold the room had become.

He said he had been using an electric space heater between the children’s beds. However, after a pet opened the bedroom door, he could see his own breath in the room.

McLaughlin described finding his daughter unresponsive when he went to wake her the following morning.

At the time of her death, Eleanora was living with her twin sister and an older brother at her father’s home. Her mother, Erika Dupuis, had moved to West Virginia during the summer of 2025.

The family’s living conditions had previously drawn attention from state officials. State Senator Jeff Timberlake said records he obtained raised concerns about the home, including reports of unsanitary conditions and a lack of running water. McLaughlin acknowledged that the family had been investigated by state authorities several times since 2017, but disputed some of the findings.

Dupuis later told local media that she was angry and upset that no charges had initially been filed over her daughter’s death.

McLaughlin was taken to Penobscot County Jail following his arrest. On October 30, he pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter and three child-endangerment charges. His bail was set at $250,000, and a further hearing was expected.

Although the medical examiner initially classified Eleanora’s death as accidental, prosecutors have now brought criminal charges against her father. The allegations remain to be tested in court, and McLaughlin is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.