An Easton woman has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of a 1-year-old boy in March, Maine State Police said.
Mariah Dobbins, 28, was indicted July 14 by a grand jury in Aroostook County and was being held at the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.
Bail was set at $10,000 cash or $100,000 surety, state police said Friday. Her arraignment is scheduled for Sept 14.
Although police have not identified the victim, Dobbins had a 1-year-old son, Jaden Alan Raymond, who died on March 19, according to a published obituary. That’s the same day state police were called to a residence on Center Road in Easton after a baby was reported unresponsive there. The child was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead.
Raymond’s obituary does not say how he died but describes him as “a loving baby whose smile would bring joy to everyone around him.” The obituary also indicates the boy had an older brother.
Authorities, however, wouldn’t confirm the relationship between Dobbins and the boy.
“We will not be releasing the relationship between the child and Mariah Dobbins at this time,” Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in an email.
State police also would not answer questions about any of Dobbins’ other family members.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit investigates anytime a child under the age of 3 dies. As part of the investigation into this death, the state medical examiner ruled that it was a homicide, which broadly means the death was caused by another person.
State police would not answer questions about the investigation or what led them to charge Dobbins.
Manslaughter is a Class A felony in Maine, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Under state statute, a person is guilty of manslaughter if they “recklessly, or with criminal negligence, cause the death of another human being” or if they “intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being under circumstances that do not constitute murder because the person causes the death while under the influence of extreme anger or extreme fear brought about by adequate provocation.”
Several high-profile child deaths in Maine in recent years have put scrutiny on the state’s child protective system and contributed to reforms.
According to a quarterly report from the Department of Health and Human Services, there were four child fatalities in Maine from January through March of this year. In 2021, there were 29, although none of them was classified as a homicide.
Since 2007, 32 child deaths in Maine have been ruled homicides, eight of them in 2014 alone.
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