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Toddler dies after babysitter leaves him in car for hours on Martha’s Vineyard, police say
The 2-year-old died days later after succumbing to his injuries.
A 41-year-old Martha’s Vineyard woman is now being charged with manslaughter after police say a child she was caring for became unresponsive and later died when she left him unattended in her car on the island.
According to the Cape and Island’s District Attorney Office, at 1:16 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, Aimee Cotton called 911, stating that a child she babysits for was not breathing and turning blue.
When first responders arrived, they found Cotton performing CPR on the toddler in the second-row passenger seat of the car, the DA’s office said. Oak Bluffs police and EMS took over emergency lifesaving efforts and transported the 2-year-old to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital emergency room.
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The toddler was then taken by a medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in critical condition.
According to The Boston Globe, an Oak Bluffs police report states that security footage shows Cotton leaving two young children alone in the car for about three hours without food or water.
Cotton was initially arraigned in Edgartown District Court on March 14 on charges of assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment of a child, according to court documents. Court documents say she was held on a $2,800 bail with conditions of release.
However, the toddler succumbed to the injuries he sustained while being in the unattended vehicle on Wednesday, the DA’s office said.
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Subsequently, Cotton’s charges were upgraded to manslaughter. Cotton remained held on bail, which was increased to $21,000. She’s due back in Edgartown District Court on April 3 for a probable cause hearing.
“District Attorney (Robert) Galibois’s thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the young toddler during this incredibly difficult time,” a release says.
The attorney representing Cotton did not respond to a request to comment.
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