A Massachusetts babysitter allegedly left a child alone in her SUV for hours on March 13, 2025, and lied to police about what really happened. Aimee Cotton, 40, was watching a 1-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy when she reportedly left the children in the car in Oak Bluffs. When she returned to the Chevy Tahoe, she found the boy unresponsive and turning blue, so she called 911 for help, but Cotton allegedly told police a different version of the story. Sadly, the boy died after nearly a week in the ICU, and she now faces a manslaughter charge.
According to a police report obtained by WCVB, Cotton told Massachusetts State Police she took the children to her home. She said they played, ate, and she changed their diapers. A few hours later, she allegedly took the kids back to the SUV and loaded hockey equipment into it. Cotton reportedly said the boy looked “sick and ill,” so she removed him from the car seat and called 911. Cotton said she tried CPR until first responders arrived.
Investigators reviewed Nest camera footage from Cotton’s home, which reportedly shows the babysitter leaving the children in the car alone for about three hours. The woman admitted to police later that she did leave the children in the car unsupervised for several hours so she could do chores inside the home.
Emergency responders took the boy to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and later airlifted him to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he was in the ICU.
NBC Boston reported that police originally arrested Cotton on March 14 but later released her on a $2,800 bail. The Vineyard Gazette reported that Cotton must stay away from the victim and their family and can have no unsupervised contact with children younger than 5. A judge barred Cotton from participating in child care or day care activities. The court set her pretrial date for April 28.
In light of the boy’s death, Cotton now is being charged with manslaughter, according to NBC Boston.
Cotton’s low bond before news broke about the boy’s death angered many people who commented on the Vineyard Gazette‘s Facebook page.
One wrote, “$2800 bail? On what earth do we live that the bail should be so incredibly low for such an egregious crime?! Praying for this poor child and his family.”
And this person agreed writing, “so this poor child almost dies, and her bail is 2,800? are we for real?”
