Bronx

NYC Police Arrest 2 in Cover-Up of New Hampshire Kid Missing 6 Months

Police said the 5-year-old was last seen by ā€œindependent individualsā€ about six months ago and was never reported missing to authorities before last week

NBC Universal, Inc.

The mother of a 5-year-old New Hampshire boy who hasnā€™t been seen in six months and a man who was with her were arrested in New York on witness tampering and child endangerment charges, but the search for the child continues, authorities said Monday.

Warrants had been issued for Elijah Lewisā€™ mother, Danielle Dauphinais, and Joseph Stapf. New York City transit officers located and arrested them Sunday at a subway station the Bronx, the New Hampshire attorney generalā€™s office said in a news release.

The witness tampering charges allege that they each asked other people to lie about Elijah and where he was living, knowing that child protection service workers were searching for him, the news release said. The endangerment charge alleges that they violated a duty of care, protection or support for Elijah.

Dauphinais and Stapf stood before a judge Monday night in the Bronx, more than four hours away from their home. The state of New Hampshire has sought their extradition, the attorney generalā€™s office said.

It wasnā€™t immediately known if Dauphinais or Stapf had lawyers to speak for them, and phone numbers could not be found for them.

The New Hampshire Division for Children Youth and Families notified police on Thursday that Elijah was missing. The agencyā€™s involvement with the boy is unclear, but state police said he was last seen by ā€œindependent individualsā€ about six months ago and was never reported missing to authorities before last week.

Officials are continuing to search for Elijah and are requesting the publicā€™s assistance in locating him. They searched a lake behind his home in Merrimack over the weekend.

Copyright The Associated Press
Contact Us