A New Hampshire mom admitted to murdering her missing 5-year-old son who prosecutors said was "assaulted, starved, isolated, and neglected" leading up to his death.
On Thursday, Danielle Dauphinais, 38, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of witness tampering in connection with the death of her son, Elijah Lewis, in 2021, according to WBZ-TV.
Investigators believe Dauphinais killed Elijah sometime between September 21 and September 24 of that year. The pair were living with Dauphinais' boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, in Merrimack, New Hampshire, at the time.
"Elijah was assaulted, starved, isolated, and neglected. He was tortured," prosecutors told the court, the station reported.
The boy was reported missing in October 2021.
His remains were found in an Abington, Massachusetts state park later that month, according to WCVB-TV. Prosecutors said Dauphinais and Stapf put his body in a container and buried him in the park.
A medical examiner determined Elijah died from "facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers," according to WBTS-TV. He weighed just 19 lbs. when he died.
In 2022, Stapf pleaded guilty to manslaughter, second-degree assault, falsifying physical evidence and witness tampering for his part in Elijah's murder. He was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison.
Dauphinais will be sentenced Oct. 25. She faces up to life in prison.
