An Oak Bluffs babysitter is at the center of an increasingly tense legal battle after a two-year-old boy in her care died last year, and the child’s father publicly accused her of having “tortured” his son. The case has sparked criminal charges, a wrongful-death lawsuit and sharp exchanges in Dukes County court. The accused caregiver, Aimee Cotton, has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail while prosecutors and defense lawyers prepare for trial.
What prosecutors say
Investigators say the toddler was injured while unattended in a vehicle, then later died at Massachusetts General Hospital, prompting prosecutors to upgrade earlier counts to manslaughter. In a March 20, 2025 press release, the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office said the case began with a March 13 call to 911 and that the charges were elevated after the boy succumbed to his injuries. The office also identified the prosecutor assigned to the case and noted that the matter remains under active investigation and prosecution, according to the Cape & Islands District Attorney's Office.
Surveillance footage and police findings
Local reporting and court filings say surveillance footage undercut Cotton’s initial account, instead showing that both children stayed in a parked vehicle for roughly three hours. Oak Bluffs police and state troopers responded after Cotton called 911, and emergency crews flew the boy to Boston in critical condition. He died days later. Police reports and court documents that formed the basis for the indictment, including the timeline that led prosecutors to seek felony charges, were reviewed by the Martha's Vineyard Times.
Family files suit and pushes for answers
The boy’s parents have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging “willful and wanton” misconduct and claiming their son suffered hypothermia, cardiac arrest and “severe pain,” according to court papers. The suit asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages and accuses Cotton of misleading first responders in a way the complaint says delayed care. Coverage of the filing and the parents’ statements appears in regional reporting; the family also urged other parents to “trust, and also verify” when searching for caregivers, as reported by The Boston Globe.
On television, the boy’s father has spoken bluntly, telling local reporters he believed the babysitter had “tortured” his child, language that has amplified community anger and grief. That interview and other public remarks from the family were featured in a video segment by the WBZ/CBS Boston team, which captured the intensity of the family’s response as the twin criminal and civil cases move forward, according to CBS News Boston.
Court updates and bail conditions
In a recent Dukes County Superior Court hearing, prosecutors and defense counsel clashed over the terms of Cotton’s release. The judge declined a request from the Commonwealth to reinstate a nighttime curfew, a move the Rodenbaugh family said left them feeling “unheard” and frustrated with the pace and handling of the case. The district attorney’s office, for its part, has said it remains committed to pursuing justice within the bounds of the law, according to The Vineyard Gazette.
Legal implications
Cotton faces felony counts that include manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child in the criminal case, and she is also the defendant in the civil wrongful-death suit brought by the toddler’s parents. She has pleaded not guilty in superior court and, like any defendant, is entitled to a presumption of innocence while prosecutors build their case and the defense reviews discovery. The criminal and civil matters will follow separate tracks, and the outcome of each will hinge on the evidence presented at upcoming hearings and, if it gets that far, at trial.
Community concern and child-care questions
The case has reignited debate on Martha’s Vineyard about child-care oversight and the island’s thin supply of licensed slots, with local outlets noting that the incident has left many residents and parents anxious about safety and regulation. Reporting has highlighted calls for clearer safeguards and more support for families seeking vetted child care, as the tragedy is weighed alongside broader structural gaps on the Island, according to the Martha's Vineyard Times.
For now, the child’s family continues to press for answers and for the criminal case to move ahead. Court schedules show additional pretrial conferences and discovery deadlines on the calendar as prosecutors and defense attorneys prepare their next moves.
