A New Hampshire mother on Thursday pleaded guilty to murder in the 2021 death of her five-year-old son, Elijah Lewis.

Danielle Dauphinais of Merrimack appeared in Hillsborough County Superior Court on Thursday morning, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit. She pleaded guilty to second degree murder and two counts witness tampering in the death of her young son.

“Elijah was assaulted, starved, isolated, and neglected. He was tortured,” a prosecutor said.

The state said Elijah died between Sept. 21, 2021 and Sept. 24, 2021.

The boy was found face down in the fetal position in a shallow hole at Ames Nowell State Park in Abington.

According to prosecutors, had this case gone to trial, Dr. Richard Atkinson, who was at the burial site and conducted Elijah’s autopsy, would have said, “Elijah died as a result of violence and neglect including facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment, and pressure ulcers.”

“I am sick to my stomach and I can’t believe what I heard today. That’s not the person I knew,” MJ Morrison, Elijah’s aunt, said after Thursday’s court hearing.

Dauphinais was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges in connection with her son’s death in April 2022. Dauphinais and her boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, were originally charged with witness tampering and child endangerment. Both remain in prison.

Prosecutors said Thursday that the investigation into Elijah’s whereabouts began after Dauphinais gave birth to a baby boy and Stapf dropped the child off at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.

The Division of Children, Youth, and Families began questioning Dauphinais about where Elijah was.

Prosecutors said she told them “Elijah was gone” and then said he was living with her sister Tracy in California. Her sister later told the social worker and investigators that Dauphinais asked her to lie and say Elijah was with her in California, but she refused.

According to cell phone records, Dauphinais was confronted again by DCYF workers, at which point she told them she sent Elijah to her brother’s house in Texas.

Her brother, Bruce, told DCYF workers he had custody of Elijah since September, not knowing it was more than a wellness check, but couldn’t provide any information on him like where he went to school. He was told to call them back but never did.

DCYF then went to Merrimack Police to report Elijah as missing.

Text messages between Dauphinais and Stapf revealed she was depriving the child of nourishment, prosecutors said in court.

“I gave him a small bowl of cereal so he would shut the **** up. But that wasn’t enough. He said he wants food and wants me to stop starving him because it’s not nice,” read one message.

“I’m gonna kill this kid joe, ****ing screaming at the top of his lungs ****ing water,” said another from Dauphinais to Stapf.

Prosecutors outlined how and when the couple buried Elijah.

Merrimack Police tracked the couple’s cell phones, finding that the pair traveled through Boston to Abington, 14 hours after investigators started asking questions.

Prosecutors said Stapf buried Elijah’s body and put a white birch tree over his grave. Then, the couple drove to Mohegan Sun, had a bite to eat, went to a country music concert and boarded a bus to New York City.

The two were arrested at a subway station in the Bronx.

Cristee Chasse went to the courthouse on Thursday wearing a shirt that read, ‘Justice for Elijah.’

“Absolutely disgusting, disgusting. And that could have been prevented. A lot of this, according to what happened today and what I heard, happened after the fact, that he went to the doctors and bruising was seen,” said Chasse.

Prosecutors also said that Elijah weighed 32 pounds at his last and only doctor’s visit with his mother, and weighed 19 pounds when his body was found in the state park.

“I’m just hoping she gets the absolute maximum. That’s what Elijah deserves,” added Morrison.

Dauphinais is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 25.

She could face between 58 years to life in prison.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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New Hampshire has historically been known as a battleground state. While that may change this year, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go out and make your vote count.

Election Day is less than two months away, and, with former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris going head to head on Nov. 5 and other major electoral races in New Hampshire that day, many feel they must vote this year.

This can be difficult, as you can only vote in person on Election Day in New Hampshire, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures website. There is still same-day voter registration in the state, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about that if you forgot to register before Nov. 5.

More: N.H.’s other major electoral race Pappas vs. Prescott: NH congressman has ‘least Trumpiest’ challenger yet in 2024

Is there early voting in New Hampshire

No, New Hampshire does not offer in-person early voting.

How can I vote if I am not here on Election Day

Residents can still cast a vote with an absentee ballot if you expect yourself unable to make it to the polls on Election Day for specific reasons, according to the Laconia government website.

“The reasons include being absent from the voter’s city or town, a religious observance, disability or illness, and employment commitments (including caregiving) during the entire time the polls are open,” the website says. “Absentee ballots may also be available when a weather emergency impacts an election.”

Apply for an absentee ballot here and the deadline to send in your mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. on Election Day.

How to register to vote

Residents can register to vote on Election Day at your polling place or at your local clerk’s office up to 6-13 days before the election. Check your town/city website or call your clerk’s office for specific details.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.

Coos County has the highest food insecurity rates in the state, and the New Hampshire Food Bank is hoping to address the need in the region with a new warehouse in Berlin.

North Country food pantries get most of their products from the New Hampshire Food Bank, and until now that food came in only once a month from a warehouse in Manchester. With the new local warehouse, northern pantries will now be able to pick up food weekly in Berlin.

Sarah Swift at Feeding Hope Food Pantry in Berlin says the weekly pick-ups will significantly increase the food that gets to clients.

“It will allow me to keep my shelves fuller, to offer a better supply of foods to all the different clients,” said Swift. “Right now having to wait for once a month delivery or drive two-and-a-half hours one way to try to go pick up extra – that’s really not feasible.”

The New Hampshire Food Bank says the new warehouse includes fridge and freezer space and can store up to 20,000 pounds of shelf-stable food. Swift says it’s been a challenge to offer clients fresh produce which can go bad quickly. Now she’s looking forward to offering produce that will be stored in the warehouse’s fridges.

“People really are looking for more fresh [food] than they are just canned and boxed items when we can make it available, because it’s healthier for them,” Swift said.

Swift runs the Feeding Hope Food Pantry with her husband, Greg. He noted that with high food prices and lower SNAP benefits, they’re seeing more people come to the pantry for help.

“It’s not just the elderly on fixed income, but it’s also young families – literally mom and dad and multiple children who either haven’t got work yet, or have got jobs that just aren’t paying the bills,” Greg Swift said. “And they have to find a way to put food on the table for their families.”

Christy Langlois oversees the Food Bank’s work in the North Country. With food going towards pantries more regularly, she believes the warehouse can be a solution to the area’s high food insecurity rates.

“We will be able to distribute [food] more efficiently and ultimately help more people. We’ll be able to ensure that no one has to wonder where their next meal is coming from,” said Langlois. “So this is why I say that it’s true systemic change for the North Country.”

The warehouse has a temporary lease in its location on Jericho Road, but Langlois hopes it will find a permanent space. A food drive is open to the public for the warehouse’s grand opening on Friday.