Boy allegedly left in car for hours on Martha's Vineyard dies; babysitter charged with manslaughter
A 2-year-old boy who was allegedly left in an unattended car for hours on Martha's Vineyard has died, authorities say. His 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. She was watching him and a 1-year-old girl last Thursday. The boy is from West Tisbury and his mother is a teacher at Oak Bluffs Elementary School.
Aimee Cotton charged with manslaughter
According to an arraignment report, Cotton called 911 and said the boy she was babysitting was not breathing and turned blue. Cotton reportedly told officers that she had left him in her car for what she estimated was 15 minutes and returned to find him unresponsive.
But 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. 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.
An attorney for Cotton said in court that she changed the boy's diaper and fed him a yogurt in the car about an hour before he was found unresponsive, according to The Vineyard Gazette. A prosecutor said the boy suffered from hypothermia and his body temperature was 14 degrees lower than normal upon arrival at the hospital.
Cotton has pleaded not guilty to all charges so far.
