Advocates question child services involvement with family after death of Maine 4-year-old

A month after a 4-year-old boy died from a gunshot wound in Maine, his stepfather has been charged with manslaughter.

Police responded to the shooting on Pierce Street in Lewiston shortly before 5 a.m. on May 17. Jasper Smith was transported to Central Main Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Maine State Police said his stepfather, 35-year-old Robert McCoy, was arrested Wednesday on charges of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child.

The boy’s mother, 27-year-old Mikayla Smith, was also arrested on unrelated warrants, but police did not name any charges against her.

In the wake of the shooting, child welfare advocates have pushed for more details on the state’s involvement with the family, NBC affiliate NEWS CENTER Maine reported.

Investigators previously said they located a single 9mm handgun at the apartment, registered to Jasper’s stepfather.

“The more I learned about the story, the more it becomes concerning to me about what happened, ” state Sen. Jeff Timberlake told NEWS CENTER Maine. “We know of approximately 17 times DHHS was called, and all of those, we know DHHS made at least seven visits.”

Jasper lived in the Pierce Street apartment with his mother, stepfather, and three siblings, aged 7 months, 2 years and 8 years. His aunt, Laura Smith, said his siblings have been removed from the home.

Police said Wednesday that McCoy and Smith had both been taken to the Androscoggin County Jail. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.