Updated: The arraignment of Danielle Dauphinais will go ahead as scheduled, but the attorney general’s office now says the arraignment for Joseph Stapf has not been scheduled.

 Attorney General John M. Formella, New Hampshire State Police Colonel Nathan A. Noyes, and Merrimack Police Chief Brian K. Levesque announce that arraignments for Danielle Dauphinais and Joseph Stapf have been scheduled in Hillsborough County Superior Court – Southern District for the morning of Wednesday, October 20, 2021. 

The arraignments will be at 11:00 a.m. and will be a WebEx proceeding livestreamed on www.WMUR.com, as per the Court’s Order.

Officials are continuing to search for Elijah and are requesting the public’s assistance in locating him.  Investigators now believe Elijah was last seen at his home sometime within the last 30 days.

As previously reported, Elijah’s unknown whereabouts were brought to the attention of authorities by DCYF on Thursday, October 14, 2021.  The Merrimack Police Department immediately began an investigation, and was assisted later that day by the New Hampshire State Police and the New Hampshire Department of Justice.  Elijah was never reported missing to authorities prior to this time.

Officers of the New York City Transit Authority in the Bronx, New York, located and then arrested Dauphinais, age 35, and Stapf, age 30, on warrants issued in this investigation charging them with Witness Tampering and Child Endangerment.

The witness tampering charges allege that they each asked other people to lie about Elijah and where he was living knowing that child protection service workers were searching for Elijah.  The endangerment charge alleges that they violated a duty of care, protection or support for Elijah.  

Anyone with information on Elijah’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Merrimack Police Department’s Crimeline at (603) 424-2424 or New Hampshire State Police Communications at (603) 223-4381 or 603-MCU-TIPS (603-628-8477). Lead Investigator Detective Sergeant Kelly Healey, Major Crime Unit, can be contacted directly at Kelly.A.Healey@dos.nh.gov.

Based on the information currently known to investigators, there does not appear to be any danger to the public.  The investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available while protecting the integrity of the investigation.