Dad charged with manslaughter after 13-month-old daughter froze to death at home

Dad charged with manslaughter after 13-month-old daughter froze to death at home Eleanora Ray McLaughlin was found unresponsive at her family home in Milford, Maine, in the northeast of the United States A father has been charged with manslaughter after discovering his 13-month-old daughter lifeless in a freezing bedroom. Eleanora Ray McLaughlin was found unresponsive at her family home in Maine in the northeast of the United States. Her father, Shane McLaughlin, previously told local outlet News Center Maine that he was sleeping in the same room as his children. A space heater was used to warm up the room, the 37-year-old said, claiming that a family pet left the door open, allowing freezing air to take over the room overnight. Eleanora died of hypothermia, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner spokesperson Lindsey Chasteen previously found. The tragic incident happened on December 28 last year at the family's home in Milford. A medical examiner has now determined Eleanora died from hypothermia. The girl's father was arrested last Wednesday as a result and appeared in court on Friday. McLaughlin pleaded not guilty to one count of felony manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment, radio station Wgan reports. The father previously said the temperature in the room was so low he could see his own breath but that he only noticed how cold it was when he woke up in the morning. He then made the heartbreaking discovery when he went to wake up the toddler. He said: "I grabbed a package of Pop-Tarts, opened it up, and I went to wake up Eleanora, and that’s when I found her dead." The girl's estranged mother, Erika Dupuis, moved to West Virginia in the summer of 2025 to build a better life for her family, hoping to eventually bring her children to live with her. Eleanora also had a twin sister and a brother aged three, the mother said. According to Maine State Senator Jeff Timberlake, the family has previously been investigated by the state's department of health and human services. The father allegedly confirmed he and his estranged partner had been probed multiple times since 2017 but he disagreed with the findings.