Aimee Cotton indicted on manslaughter 

A Dukes County grand jury indicted an Oak Bluffs woman on Tuesday on charges for manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child in connection with the death of a 2-year-old boy she was babysitting last spring. 

Forty-year-old Aimee Cotton was indicted on charges that stem from an incident on March 13 that left the Island reeling in which she left a 2-year-old, Frank (“Frankie”) Edward Rodenbaugh, and a 1-year-old girl unattended in her vehicle for more than three hours outside her home. Rodenbaugh would die days later at Massachusetts General Hospital Boston. Cotton remains free on bail. 

The arraignment will likely take place inside the Edgartown courthouse but no official date has been scheduled. 

According to a police report from Massachusetts State Police Trooper Dustin Shaw, Cotton called 911 around 1:16 pm that day, claiming she left the 3-year-old in her car for about 15 minutes, only to return and find him unresponsive and turning blue in the back seat of her black Chevrolet Tahoe.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from Cotton’s driveway that contradicted her initial account to police. The footage showed the children remained in the vehicle from around 9:22 am until shortly after noon — a period of roughly three hours. According to the police reports, during that time Cotton entered and exited the home multiple times for chores, including cooking and preparing gear for hockey. 

After being confronted with the footage from surveillance cameras around the property, Cotton admitted to police to leaving both children strapped in their car seats, according to court documents. Assistant District Attorney Ailey Kirwin argued in the Edgartown District Courthouse on March 20 that Cotton’s actions showed an “intentional, callous disregard for human life.” 

Initially, Cotton faced charges of assault and battery on a child with injury by a caregiver, as well as a misdemeanor of wanton or reckless behavior creating a risk of serious bodily injury to a child, but Rodenbaugh succumbed to his injuries from the incident days later, prompting Cotton’s charges to be elevated to manslaughter the following day in the Edgartown District Courthouse, where she pleaded not guilty. 

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Rodenbaugh family expressed gratitude to the Dukes County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement. 

“Yesterday our family learned that the grand jury has indicted Aimee Cotton on charges of Manslaughter and Reckless Endangerment of a Child in connection with the death of our little boy, Frank (“Frankie”) Edward Rodenbaugh. The case now moves to Dukes County Superior Court. We are grateful to the Dukes County District Attorney’s Office and law enforcement for their tireless efforts and compassion. We will continue to follow this case closely, and we hope that justice is brought for our family, for Frankie, and for the family of the other child who was in the car that day,” said the Rodenbaughs in their statement. 

The Rodenbaughs described Frankie as a “joyful, loving child who filled our home with laughter and light,” and encouraged other parents to hold their childcare providers accountable:

“We share Frankie’s story to encourage every parent to ask questions of their children’s caregivers. Trust, and also verify. We are seeking as much positive outcome as possible by doing whatever we can to make sure other families feel empowered to question and protect.”