Father's Agony as Toddler Cried 'Dada' While Left in Car for Hours Before Death
A grieving father has described the unbearable pain of hearing his two-year-old son repeatedly cry out for "Dada" while allegedly left strapped in a babysitter's car for hours before his hypothermia death. Frankie Rodenbaugh, a toddler from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, tragically passed away in March 2025 after what his father Matt Rodenbaugh calls a devastating betrayal of trust.
Alleged Neglect by Trusted Babysitter
According to Matt Rodenbaugh, the family had placed their complete confidence in babysitter Aimee Cotton, 41, who had previously cared for their six-year-old daughter for three years. "She was somebody really close to us and somebody we trusted," Rodenbaugh explained. This trust was shattered on March 13, 2025, when Cotton allegedly picked up Frankie from the family's $2.1 million home in Martha's Vineyard and took him to her residence in Oak Bluffs.
Police footage allegedly shows Cotton arriving at her home around 9 a.m. before leaving both Frankie and another child strapped in her car until approximately 1 p.m. During this four-hour period, the children were reportedly without adequate clothing, food, or water. "She tortured my child," Rodenbaugh stated emotionally. "They enhanced the audio of the video, and he can be heard calling out for 'Dada' over and over and over again, until the video went silent."
Medical Emergency and Tragic Outcome
Hours later, Cotton allegedly called 911 reporting that Frankie had stopped breathing before contacting the boy's mother with the tragic news. Frankie was rushed to the hospital by helicopter, but medical professionals quickly expressed grave concerns about his condition. "They lost his heart rate, there's not a lot of neurological signals going on right now," Rodenbaugh recalled doctors telling him. "They keep telling me 'we're very, very worried about Frankie' and that's exactly how they would tell me. I knew, I knew what that meant."
After six days in the hospital, Frankie died from cardiac arrest brought on by hypothermia. His family faced the heartbreaking decision to turn off life support. "It was horrible," Rodenbaugh remembered. "I held his hand, and I just kept saying, 'Go to Pap Pap.' That's what he called my dad. I held his hand for a long time and just kept saying, 'Go to Pap Pap.'"
Compounding Tragedy and Legal Proceedings
The family's grief was compounded by the simultaneous death of Rodenbaugh's father, Frank, who was Frankie's namesake. The grandfather passed away suddenly after having a pacemaker implanted while Frankie remained hospitalized.
Initially resistant to legal action against Cotton, Rodenbaugh changed his mind after viewing the surveillance footage. "I remember my wife and I both were like, 'You can't do that. We love Aimee. She's great,'" he said. Police allege that Cotton admitted to leaving the children in the car while she went inside to complete household tasks including cooking bacon and preparing her son's hockey equipment.
Aimee Cotton has been charged with manslaughter and has pleaded not guilty. She is currently free on bail while awaiting trial. Rodenbaugh now seeks justice for his son, alleging that Cotton played "Russian roulette" with Frankie's life. "The amount of damage she's done to our community is unimaginable," he said, describing his son as his "mini-me" who would greet him daily with enthusiastic hugs and shouts of "Dada!"
