Court records say 13-month-old Eleanora Ray McLaughlin died in a home where first responders found temperatures near freezing conditions.
MILFORD, Maine — A Maine father has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and child endangerment charges after his 13-month-old daughter died of hypothermia last winter in a home investigators said had no heat or running water.
Shane McLaughlin, 37, was arrested Oct. 28 after a Penobscot County grand jury indicted him on one felony count of manslaughter and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. His daughter, Eleanora Ray McLaughlin, died Dec. 28, 2025. The Maine Office of Chief Medical Examiner later determined that hypothermia caused her death and classified the manner of death as accidental. The criminal charges remain allegations, and McLaughlin has pleaded not guilty.
New details released in a Maine State Police probable cause affidavit say the home had no heat on the night Eleanora died. Investigators said McLaughlin and his three children were sleeping in one bedroom that was being warmed by a space heater. Each of the twin girls slept in a playpen, according to the affidavit. McLaughlin told investigators that he could see his breath when he awoke. Police said it was 18 degrees inside the home when first responders arrived, while the temperature outside was below zero.
The affidavit says McLaughlin discovered Eleanora unresponsive after his older son woke early that morning and asked for a drink. Eleanora’s twin sister also showed signs of hypothermia when emergency medical workers arrived, according to the police account, but her temperature returned to a normal range after she was warmed and taken to a hospital. The older child was not reported to have suffered the same condition.
Investigators also alleged that McLaughlin had failed to take his children to several medical appointments in December while the Maine Department of Health and Human Services was investigating the family. The police affidavit said one of Eleanora’s medical issues included an infection on her foot and that health professionals had previously expressed concern about the children’s care. Those assertions are part of the state’s case and have not been proven at trial.
The case has also raised questions about prior child-welfare involvement with the family. Prosecutors said during a Nov. 4 bail hearing that DHHS opened an investigation in November 2025 and closed it Dec. 22, six days before Eleanora died. A caseworker had conducted a scheduled home visit in November, but testimony at the hearing indicated the worker did not walk through the entire home or confirm whether it had running water. Another department investigation earlier in 2025 also ended without a finding of neglect.
Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Ackerman said in court that there was no heat or running water in the house when Eleanora died. The prosecution also said another unused space heater and additional blankets were available in the home. Defense attorney James Howaniec argued that the death was a tragedy connected to poverty and said the bedroom’s space heater had stopped working for reasons that remain unclear. The medical examiner’s classification of the death as accidental has not changed.
A DHHS caseworker testified that the department opened another investigation shortly after Eleanora’s death. The two surviving children were eventually placed with their maternal grandmother. Before McLaughlin’s arrest, he had participated in services and had progressed to unsupervised visits with the children as part of the department’s reunification process, according to testimony reported from the bail hearing.
McLaughlin was initially ordered held on $250,000 cash bail. At the Nov. 4 hearing, Penobscot County Judge Bruce Mallonee indicated that he expected to reduce the amount but wanted more information about where McLaughlin would live and how any release conditions would be monitored. McLaughlin remained in the Penobscot County Jail while those issues were being considered.
The criminal case is continuing in Penobscot County Superior Court. Prosecutors will have to prove the manslaughter and child endangerment allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Separate questions about the state’s child-welfare response remain under scrutiny as officials examine the agency’s contacts with the family before Eleanora’s death.
Author note: Last updated November 6, 2026.