Maine State Police have arrested the mother and stepfather of a four-year-old boy in Lewiston who died from a gunshot wound in May.
Thirty-five year old Robert Smith has been charged with manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. Twenty-seven-year old Mikayla Smith has been arrested on unrelated warrants.
Laura Smith, the aunt of four-year old Jasper Smith, said that she and others called state child protective services multiple times due to concerns about the care of her nephew and other children in the household. She said the arrests offer some justice for Jasper and for his half-siblings, who have been placed in foster care.
"They deserve so much better and so much more than she is and could ever give them, and I just really hope that they don't return them to her."
Smith is advocating for changes to Maine's child welfare system.
"At the end of the day, my fight isn't over. I still want change for the kids in this state," she said. "I want to know that the babies in the state are safe and nurtured and cared for and actually properly taken care of."
A spokesperson for the state has said the loss of a child is "devastating and tragic," but they can't comment on child welfare cases due to confidentiality laws.
