Overview
- Aimee Cotton, 40, is charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment in the 2025 death of 2-year-old Frank “Frankie” Rodenbaugh, which prosecutors say involved hypothermia.
- Police reports say Nest-camera footage shows Frankie and another child left strapped in car seats in Cotton’s SUV for about three hours without food or water.
- Investigators say Cotton told them she was inside her Oak Bluffs home cooking, tending to personal hygiene and packing her son’s hockey bags during that period.
- Cotton has pleaded not guilty, is free on bail, and is represented by attorney Harrison Barrow III; no trial date has been reported.
- The Rodenbaughs filed a wrongful-death lawsuit and have launched a foundation and playground in Frankie’s name as Matt Rodenbaugh urges parents to “trust but verify” caregivers.