A two-year-old boy who was allegedly left in an unattended car for hours on Martha's Vineyard has died, authorities say. The child's babysitter, 41-year-old Aimee Cotton, has now been charged with manslaughter.
The toddler was flown by helicopter to a Boston hospital after the incident on March 13. He died on Thursday, Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said. Cotton was already facing charges of assault and battery on a child and reckless behavior before the boy died from his injuries.
Cotton Told Officers She Only Left Him in the Car for 15 Minutes but Camera Footage Revealed the Boy was in the Car for 3 Hours
According to an arraignment report, the incident happened while Cotton was babysitting the 2-year-old and a 1-year-old girl in West Tisbury. At about 1:15 p.m., Cotton called 911, saying the boy was not breathing and turning blue in the back of her Chevy Tahoe, according to state police.
According to the state police report, Cotton told investigators she brought the children into her home where they played, ate lunch and had diaper changes. A few hours later, she said she brought the children back out to the SUV, and proceeded to load other items including hockey equipment into the Tahoe.
She told police the children may have been alone during that time for 10-15 minutes and returned to find the boy unresponsive. However, police reviewed footage from a Nest camera at Cotton's home and determined that she had left the children in her car for about three hours.
Cotton Admitted to Leaving the Children in the Car for Hours While She Cooked Bacon and Completed Household Chores
She allegedly admitted to police that they were strapped in their car seats inside the SUV "the entire time" while she cooked bacon and did household chores.
"Cotton was remorseful at times and made statements knowing that what she did was wrong, however, attempted to justify her actions throughout the interview," the police report stated.
A prosecutor said the boy suffered from hypothermia and his body temperature was 14 degrees lower than normal upon arrival at the hospital. Cotton pleaded not guilty and was held on $21,000 bail. She will return to court on April 3.
