NEW YORK – The mother of a 5-year-old New Hampshire boy, who has not been seen in six months, and a man who was with her, were arrested in New York on charges of witness tampering and endangering a child. . However, the search for the minor continues, authorities said Monday.
Arrest warrants had been issued for Elijah Lewis’s mother, Danielle Dauphinais, 35, and Joseph Stapf, 30. New York City traffic officers located and arrested them Sunday at an El subway station. Bronx, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said in a news release.
The witness tampering charges allege that each asked other people to lie about Elijah and where he lived, as they knew that child protective service workers were looking for him, according to the press release. The danger charge alleges they violated a duty of care, protection or support for Elijah.
Dauphinais and Stapf appeared before a judge Monday night in the Bronx, more than four hours from their home. The state of New Hampshire has requested his extradition, the attorney general’s office said.
It was not immediately known whether Dauphinais or Stapf had attorneys speaking on their behalf, and their phone numbers could not be found.
The New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Families notified police Thursday that Elijah was missing. The agency’s involvement with the boy is unclear, but state police said he was last seen by “independent individuals” about six months ago and was never reported missing to authorities before last week.
Officials continue to search for Elijah and request the public’s help in locating him. They searched a lake behind his home in Merrimack over the weekend.
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