Elijah Lewis' mother, accused of killing him, will plead guilty

The mother of five-year-old Elijah Lewis from New Hampshire plans to plead guilty on Thursday to several charges related to the death of her son, several media outlets reported.

Danielle Dauphinais, 38, will plead guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of witness tampering. The Boston Globe reported. The agreement calls for her to serve a prison sentence of 55 years to life before serving a sentence of three and a half to seven years on the tampering charges.

Elijah, of Merrimack, New Hampshire, was first reported missing in October 2021 after officials said “unrelated persons” had last seen the boy about six months earlier. At the time, Dauphinais and her boyfriend Joseph Staph were named as suspects.

The couple were subsequently arrested in New York City and charged with witness tampering and child endangerment. Investigators found Elijah's body buried in a forest in Abington, Massachusetts, nine days after he was reported missing.

The autopsy found that Elijah's death was caused by “violence and neglect.” He suffered “facial and head injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnutrition, and pressure ulcers,” the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found.

Stapf pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges related to Elijah's death in September 2022 and was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison.

“I never wanted anything like this to happen to Elijah,” Stapf said in court at the time, breaking down in tears. “I wish I could go back and change everything.”

Also in 2022, Dauphinais was charged with several counts related to Elijah's death, including first- and second-degree murder. Dauphinais reportedly complained to friends about Elijah, comparing him to serial killers.

“I call him the next Ted Bundy and [Jeffrey] Dahmer … It is so sad, but I have no connection to this child,” Dauphinais wrote, according to the globe“He’s getting worse and worse.”