Father Charged After 13-Month-Old Daughter Freezes to Death in Home Where He Could See His Own Breath

A baby girl died during a freezing Maine winter while sleeping in a room heated by a single portable space heater. Her father later told a television reporter that he could see his own breath inside the bedroom. Nearly 10 months after the tragedy, he has been arrested and charged in connection with her death.

Shane McLaughlin, 37, of Milford, Maine, was arrested on October 28, 2026, and charged with one count of manslaughter and three counts of child endangerment following the death of his 13-month-old daughter, Eleanora Ray McLaughlin. The little girl was found dead inside her father’s home on December 28, 2025. According to Maine State Police, an autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Eleanora died from hypothermia. Her death was officially classified as accidental, even as investigators continued examining the circumstances surrounding the family’s living conditions and the care provided to the children.

In an interview with News Center Maine shortly after Eleanora’s death, McLaughlin described the morning he discovered his daughter unresponsive. He said he had opened a package of Pop-Tarts and gone to wake her when he realized she was dead. He also explained that he had been using an electric space heater in his bedroom, where he slept alongside his children. Recalling the freezing conditions, he told the reporter that the bedroom door had been left open after an animal entered the room and that he could see his own breath. His statement later became one of the most striking details in reports about the case.

Eleanora was living with her twin sister and her 3-year-old brother at the time. According to reporting by the Portland Press Herald, the indictment accuses McLaughlin of recklessly endangering all three children by violating his duty to provide care and protection. The living conditions also attracted the attention of state lawmakers. A Maine senator reportedly contacted the Department of Health and Human Services, raising concerns that the children were living in a home without functioning heat or running water during the middle of winter. These allegations have added another layer to the investigation into how such dangerous conditions were allowed to continue.

Eleanora’s mother, Erika Dupuis, had previously spoken publicly about her frustration that no charges had been filed immediately after her daughter’s death. She and McLaughlin were estranged, and she had reportedly moved from Maine to West Virginia during the summer of 2025, several months before the tragedy. Dupuis told News Center Maine that she was angry and upset about the lack of criminal charges at the time. The family was left waiting for answers as investigators conducted a lengthy investigation and medical examiners worked to establish the cause of death.

The case moved forward after McLaughlin’s arrest, but the legal proceedings are still in their early stages. He faces one manslaughter charge and three counts of child endangerment, and was initially held on a $250,000 bond. On October 30, he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to PEOPLE. His plea means the allegations must still be tested through the judicial process. For Eleanora’s family, however, the central loss cannot be undone: a 13-month-old child died in circumstances that authorities say involved dangerously inadequate protection from the cold. The investigation and upcoming court proceedings may provide further answers about the conditions inside the home and the responsibilities of the adults caring for the children.