Body of Missing NH Boy Found Buried in a Massachusetts State Park

After a search at a state park in Massachusetts a body presumed to be that of 5-year-old Elijah "Eli" Lewis was found buried in the ground Saturday morning.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said at a press conference Saturday afternoon that "credible information" brought the search by law enforcement from both Massachusetts and New Hampshire to the Ames Norwell State Park in Abington, Massachusetts on Friday. A New Hampshire cadaver dog made the discovery of the body.

"Obviously a little boy is gone, nobody deserved to die this way and we will do everything in our power to make sure we can get justice for this little boy," Cruz said.

No one has been charged in the boy's death pending the completion of the investigation to determine what actions took place in what state, according to Cruz. Assistant New Hampshire Attorney General Susan Morrill added that an autopsy will determine a cause and manner of death that will factor into future charges.

Morrill would not discuss how cooperative the boy's mother, Danielle Denise Dauphinais, 35, and friend Joseph Stapf, 30, have been with the investigation.

“Horrific tragedies like this often spur countless hours of dedication by so many,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “On behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I would like to thank New Hampshire and Massachusetts law enforcement and everyone else involved for their tireless focus this past week on bringing closure to this search. May Elijah rest in peace.”

The Search Leads to Massachusetts

Unnamed sources told told WCVB TV  it was a cell phone dumped in Sandy Pond in Ayer, Massachusetts that led the investigation to Abington.

Senior Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati said on Friday night said that investigators believed Lewis to be dead.

“We’re hoping we’re going to find Elijah to be OK,” said Agati. "At this point we have to face the probability that Elijah is not OK.”

The boy was last seen in April but not reported missing until Oct. 14 setting off a search for Dauphinais, 35, and Stapf, 30. They were located Sunday in the Bronx and extracted to New Hampshire. They are both being held at the Hillsborough County Jail on charges of witness tampering and child endangerment.

Police had been searching the lake in back the house on Sunset Drive in Merrimack where they lived with his mother who owns it.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH