May 1—Prosecutors preparing for the murder trial of a mother accused of killing her young son plan to introduce potentially incriminating text exchanges between the woman and her former boyfriend as evidence.
Danielle Dauphinais is scheduled to go on trial Oct. 7 on several charges — including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, child endangerment and witness tampering — in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son, Elijah Lewis.
Elijah’s remains were found in October 2021 buried in Abington, Mass., after child-protection workers told police he had not been seen for six months.
An autopsy determined Elijah died from facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and bed sores, signaling that he had probably been confined to a bed or other furniture for long periods of time.
Joseph Stapf, Dauphinais’s boyfriend at the time of Elijah’s death, pleaded guilty in September 2022 to manslaughter in connection with the Merrimack boy’s death.
Stapf, 32, who also pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, concealing evidence and witness tampering, was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in state prison.
Earlier this month, prosecutors filed motions stating their intent to introduce evidence from cellphones owned by Dauphinais and Stapf — specifically text messages exchanged between the two — leading up to and during the timeframe officials say Elijah was killed.
Elijah was killed somewhere between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24 in 2021, according to prosecutors.
According to court documents, Merrimack police believe Elijah arrived in New Hampshire in May 2020 and lived with his mother and Stapf in a basement apartment at 7 Sunset Drive owned by Stapf’s mother, Joanne Stapf.
Dauphinais and Stapf had a child together, J.S., born in 2019, who also lived with them.
Dauphinais’s and Stapf’s phones were used before Elijah’s arrival in New Hampshire, through the alleged time frame of his death, until sometime around Oct. 15, 2021, when the pair purchased and activated new phones, according to court documents.
Court documents contain a text exchange between Dauphinais’s and Stapf’s phones the morning of Sept. 24, 2021, that read as follows:
“9:34:47 A.M. Stapf phone 1: Lol so much! Ugh I feel like a whole load of bricks just was removed off my chest..
9:36:59 A.M. Dauphinais phone 1: Seriously, like i can breathe and be free. I was a prisoner for so long baby. It was hell, it wasn’t how I wanted [J.S.] to be raised. She deserves the whole world. We deserve nothing but happiness and health. Time to kick ass and make moves. Time to create a life our beautiful children deserve.
9:41:02AM Dauphinais phone 1: I can’t wait to go places with you babe.”
Not seen in months
Law enforcement began looking for Dauphinais and Stapf on Oct. 14, 2021, after the state Department of Children, Youth and Families told Merrimack police that Lewis had not been seen in months. Later, police said Lewis had been seen within the previous month.
Prosecutors allege Dauphinais and Stapf encouraged others to lie about Elijah’s whereabouts, according to witness-tampering charges.
Prosecutors allege in court documents that Dauphinais and Stapf ditched their phones while on the run, then paid for and activated two SimpleMobile prepaid cellular phones with cash and merchandise cards at a Target store in Burlington, Mass.
After several days of searching for evidence near the Merrimack home where Lewis and Dauphinais lived, authorities launched a search of Ames Nowell State Park in Abington, Mass., a town about 30 minutes southeast of Boston.
On Oct. 23, a New Hampshire State Police cadaver dog located Elijah’s body buried in a roughly dug, shallow hole in a wooded area in Abington near an apartment complex at 585 Chestnut St. — consistent with the area where location data placed Dauphinais’s and Stapf’s newly-purchased cellphones on Oct. 14, 2021, at 11 p.m. until Oct. 15, 2021, at 12:52 a.m.
A text-message chain between the two phones included in court documents between Oct. 14 and 15 reads as follows:
“11:28:49 P.M. Dauphinais Phone 2: You ok?
11:29:24 P.M. Stapf Phone 2: Have to get thru a swamp. Fml
11:29:54 P.M. Dauphinais Phone 2: Are you serious
11:36:54 P.M. Dauphinais Phone 2: Keep me posted
11:37:22 P.M. Stapf Phone 2: This is tough. Big roots. Let me try.
11:37:45 P.M. Stapf Phone 2: I have to get it done.
11:37:47 P.M. Stapf Phone 2: Ugh”
Stapf is expected to testify against Dauphinais when her trial begins in October.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
