
Wealthy coastal enclave nanny charged with manslaughter in toddler's death
A nanny in Martha's Vineyard has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly leaving two young children who were under her care inside her SUV for several hours, resulting in the death of one of the children.
Aimee Cotton, 41, was arrested on March 13 by authorities on charges of assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment, according to an arrest report from the Massachusetts State Police.
She was later charged with manslaughter when one of the children, a 3-year-old, died on March 19. The child has not been named.
Cotton called the police in the early afternoon on March 13, reporting that "a child whom she was babysitting was not breathing and turning blue." The Oaks Bluff Police Department first responded to the call, and alerted the state police, who arrived shortly thereafter.
The victim was initially taken to the Martha's Vineyard Hospital Emergency Room, and later transported by Boston Medflight helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in critical condition.
The victim died six days later.
The arrest report indicates that Cotton first told responding officers that she and the children had had a relatively normal morning during which she attempted to take them for a walk, but scrapped the idea and took the children home when one of them would not cooperate.
She said that she took the children back to her home, where they played with toys and ate lunch, and explained that shortly after noon, she began loading her vehicle with hockey equipment and changed the children's diapers in the process, before putting them in the vehicle.
Cotton, who was described as "cooperative," told police the children were in the car alone for no more than 15 minutes, and that she called the police around 1:15 p.m. because one of the children looked "sick and ill."
Shortly thereafter, police obtained a Nest home camera with Cotton's permission, which contained surveillance footage from outside the house.
That footage told a completely different story.
Police said that around 9:15 a.m., Cotton could be seen entering the driveway in her 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe. She allegedly spent 10 minutes unloading items from the car and bringing them inside, but neither of the children were removed from the car.
Police said a period of nearly three hours passed without any activity on the Nest footage, before she began loading the SUV with the hockey equipment around noon. Over the course of the next hour, she loaded the vehicle and briefly brought the younger child, who survived, inside the house for about 10 minutes before returning that child to the car.
That is when she called 911 to report the unresponsive victim.
The next morning, state troopers brought Cotton in for questioning, where she capitulated and told officers that she left the children in the car for about three hours while she cooked herself food, attended to her personal hygiene, packed her son's hockey equipment and completed other chores.
The arrest report noted that Cotton showed remorse, but also made excuses for her behavior.
She was initially arrested on March 14 for assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment. She was booked into the Dukes County Jail and arraigned later that day.
On March 20, the day after the child died, she was arraigned in Edgartown District Court on the charge of manslaughter.
Cotton pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter charge and posted $21,000 bail. She was released with a GPS ankle monitor. She was also given a mandatory 6 p.m. curfew.
Cotton faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Her next court date is scheduled for April 3.
Harrison Barrow III, Cotton's attorney, declined to comment.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jury convicts St. Paul man in 2023 shootout at White Bear Lake bar
A jury has found a St. Paul man guilty of exchanging a flurry of gunshots with another man outside a White Bear Lake bar in 2023 after an argument over a spilled drink. Kardell Baraka Otae Jackson, 51, was convicted Friday in Ramsey County District Court of all three charges against him: second-degree assault and two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a prohibited person. The verdict followed a two-day trial before Judge Kellie Charles. Jackson was taken into custody after the verdict, and sentencing is scheduled for July 28. His attorney, assistant public defender Tyler DeHaven, said in an email Monday after a request for comment, 'Mr. Jackson is disappointed in the outcome, but will continue to explore his legal options.' Jackson and Charles Edward Stevens-Thigpen fired a total of 13 rounds at each other in the parking lot of Doc's Landing, including one that grazed a 48-year-old man who was sitting in the bar. A bullet was found lodged in a dart machine, and three bullet holes were discovered in the bar's roofline. Stevens-Thigpen, 37, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in July and faced a three-year prison term because he had no prior felony convictions. He was given three years of probation at his March sentencing after his attorney argued he was not the primary aggressor. According to the charging documents, officers were called to the bar along White Bear Avenue just north of Interstate 694 shortly before 1 a.m. Sept. 24, 2023. The shooters had fled but were soon identified as Stevens-Thigpen and Jackson. Surveillance video showed that Stevens-Thigpen and Jackson got into a 'heated dispute' inside the bar. At one point, Jackson held a pool cue as if he was going to strike Stevens-Thigpen with it. Two women and a man intervened and blocked Stevens-Thigpen and Jackson from one another. Jackson ran to his Chevrolet Tahoe and grabbed a gun, while Stevens-Thigpen grabbed one from his GMC Denali. When he rounded a corner of the bar, Jackson fired off a shot at him, and the two men exchanged gunfire, the charges say. Stevens-Thigpen nearly shot a woman who ran toward Jackson's Tahoe. Jackson helped her get into the SUV before he again shot at Stevens-Thigpen. Stevens-Thigpen 'grimaced' and began to favor his right leg, the charges say. As Jackson and the woman fled the parking lot, Stevens-Thigpen fired three to four more rounds at the Tahoe. He ran to the Denali and also fled. Stevens-Thigpen voluntarily went to the police department two days later, turning over a Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun to police when he arrived. He said he went to a doctor a day after the shooting because of severe bleeding from a gunshot to his thigh, and that his family convinced him to talk to police. He told police he was at the bar when he bumped into a table, knocking over a glass of soda onto his ex-girlfriend's sister. He said that caused an argument with the woman, who was Jackson's girlfriend, and Jackson intervened. Charges filed in drive-by shooting outside Burnsville High School graduation Under Patel, FBI heightens focus on violent crime, illegal immigration. Other threats abound, too Lakeville man sentenced in first wage theft criminal conviction in state St. Paul fire inspector charged in assault of 13-year-old on way to school Police: Gunshots followed Burnsville High School graduation ceremony, but no injuries 'The man told me that he got something for my (expletive) ass and he's gonna pop me,' Stevens-Thigpen said at his July 8 plea hearing. Stevens-Thigpen said he went to his Denali to get his 9mm as a 'precaution.' 'I believe four shots were fired before I fired my first shot,' Stevens-Thigpen said at his plea hearing. Jackson was arrested Sept. 27 in the parking lot of his workplace. His Tahoe had three bullet holes to its passenger side. He denied firing a gun at the bar. Officers executed a search warrant on his Tahoe and recovered a Glock 9mm handgun. Jackson is not allowed to possess a firearm because of a previous felony domestic assault conviction.


Axios
5 hours ago
- Axios
Scoop: Cotton urges GOP senators to double down on fiery LA protests
Senate Republican leadership is urging senators to double down on condemning the chaotic protests that erupted over the weekend in Los Angeles, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Republicans are convinced they have a winning issue. " This gives us an opportunity to remind Americans how extreme the Democratic party is on immigration," Sen. Tom Cotton's office wrote to communications staff on Monday. "Americans have a choice between Republicans' law & order vs. the Democrats' car-burning, illegal alien rioters," the email, obtained by Axios, continues. Republicans see a political opening: "So far, every Senate Democrat who has spoken out has backed the rioters..." Zoom in: Republicans want to specifically target California Governor Gavin Newsom. The Cotton staffer encouraged Senate offices to paint Newsom as "the lead enabler of these riots." "What kind of governor blames police officers and the National Guard for 'inciting' this violence," Cotton wrote on X. Newsom is viewed as a likely formidable 2028 presidential candidate. Republicans also see it as an opportunity to remind voters that a key part of their sweeping "one, big beautiful bill" involves providing significant resources to ICE. The conversation around the bill has largely been focused on tax and spending cuts. Zoom out: President Trump deployed the National Guard over the weekend to help tamp down on the escalating protests — in spite of Newson's opposition. Trump has also threatened to arrest Newsom.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 hurt after high-speed pursuit ends in Taunton crash
TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — A high-speed chase on Route 24 early Monday morning ended with a crash that sent five people to the hospital, according to Massachusetts State Police. Around 4 a.m., a trooper saw a white BMW X5 that was going more than 100 mph. As the trooper tried to stop the vehicle, state police said the driver accelerated and reached speeds of 130 mph. A short time later, the driver lost control and crashed in Taunton. The five people in the car were taken to local hospitals, according to state police. The incident remains under investigation and charges are the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.