Maine Father Charged in Infant Death

A Milford father was arrested this week in connection with the death of his infant daughter, who died of hypothermia last winter. Shane McLaughlin, 37, was taken into custody on Wednesday, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. The arrest follows the Dec. 28, 2025, death of Eleanora Ray McLaughlin, who was one year old.

McLaughlin faces one count of manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment. The state medical examiner’s office determined hypothermia was the cause of death. He was booked into the Penobscot County Jail and is scheduled for arraignment at the Penobscot County Judicial Center in Bangor.

In a December interview, McLaughlin said he found his daughter dead in their Milford home. He described using a space heater in the room where he and three other children were sleeping. He noted that after a pet opened a door, he could see his breath in the cold air.

State lawmakers have examined the case, questioning why the child was not removed from the home after previous visits by the Department of Health and Human Services. State Sen. Jeff Timberlake reviewed a document from the child's mother in January. The document described unsanitary and unsafe living conditions, including a lack of running water.

Timberlake said at the time that the children needed advocates. "These poor kids need somebody to stand up for them," he said. "I believe that’s our job."

Erika Dupuis, the child's mother, moved to West Virginia in the summer of 2025, leaving her children with their father. In an April interview, Dupuis described herself as angry and upset that McLaughlin had not yet been charged.