The affidavit, which had been sealed since the arrests of Danielle Dauphinais, now 37, and Joseph Stapf, now 32, on Oct. 19, 2021 in New York, was released after a motion to unseal it filed by News 9 Investigates was granted.
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Investigators first learned New Hampshire boy was missing after half-brother was born with drug-dependency, affidavit shows
A criminal affidavit in connection with the initial missing person's case involving a Merrimack boy later found dead detailed the lengths his mother and her boyfriend allegedly went to conceal his disappearance and how investigators initially realized the boy had vanished.
The court documents were released Wednesday after a motion to unseal the affidavit filed by News 9 Investigates was granted. The affidavit had been sealed since
the arrests of Danielle Dauphinais, now 37, and Joseph Stapf, now 32, on Oct. 19, 2021, in New York.
According to the affidavit, employees with the New Hampshire Division of Youth, Children and Families and members of the Merrimack Police Department first learned of Elijah’s disappearance after Dauphinais gave birth to a baby boy, Elijah's half-brother, at a home in Merrimack in October 2021 and Stapf dropped the boy off at Catholic Medical Center so hospital staff could care for and take custody of the child through the state’s Safe Haven Law.
During intake at the hospital, Stapf did not provide any identifying information, police wrote in the affidavit. Hospital staff later filed a report with DCYF, which led DYCF to seek to serve child abuse/neglect orders against Dauphinais and Stapf because the boy was born drug-dependent, according to court paperwork.
Dauphinais and Stapf allegedly told police they had recently relapsed and dropped the baby off to get the care he needed and because they did not want to get DCYF involved out of fear they could lose custody of their 2-year-old daughter.
When a DCYF employee followed up, they realized Dauphinais did not list Elijah as being in her care. Dauphinais initially told investigators Elijah was living with her sister in California and then claimed he was with her brother in Texas.
Dauphinais and Stapf lived with Stapf’s mother, who allegedly told investigators conflicting stories about when she last saw Elijah and where she thought he was. She initially said the boy had been taken to a hospital for treatment of behavioral issues but later said she thought he was in Texas. She added that it had been weeks since she last saw him at the home, police said.
According to the court paperwork, both Dauphinais and Stapf told his mother not to tell anybody about Elijah.
In the initial search of the home, investigators had discovered an unsigned affidavit from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services for temporary guardianship of Elijah to be granted to Dauphinais’ sister, who had expressed interest in caring for the boy in the past, according to the court documents.
Investigators said there were no photos of Elijah in the home, and a trash bag of boys’ toddler clothing was found. Police believed there was evidence Elijah no longer lived at the home and had been harmed, which sparked the manhunt for Duaphinais and Stapf.
It is believed Elijah died between Sept. 21 and Sept. 24, 2021.
An autopsy revealed he died of violence and neglect and that his death was a homicide. Officials said Elijah suffered facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers.
During Stapf’s 2022
sentencing hearing, it was learned Elijah endured systemic abuse while living with his mother and Stapf. A series of disturbing text messages between Dauphinais and Stapf in which they talked about abusing Elijah and not feeding him were read at the hearing.
At one point, Stapf texted Dauphinais that they needed to feed Elijah and let him sleep so he would look better so they could go out and do things, but Dauphinais responded that she didn't want to do that, according to prosecutors.
"He said he wants food and he wants me to stop starving him because it's not nice," Assistant Attorney General Bethany Durand said, reading one of the texts at the hearing.
Prosecutors said at the hearing that as the abuse went on, Stapf at one point began urging Dauphinais to stop what he referred to as "torture," but she refused.
A court date is scheduled for September as both sides in Dauphinais’ trial work to firm when it could begin. The trial
could be delayed because a new attorney recently joined the defense team.
