Shocking update in New Hampshire cold case of 5-year-old boy murdered on Christmas Eve in 2019

There has been a shocking update in the murder of a five-year-old boy who was murdered on Christmas Eve in 2019.

The death of Dennis 'Boo' Vaughn Jr., 5, was ruled a homicide after he was discovered inside a two-story townhouse in Laconia, New Hampshire, with blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

At the time of his death, the little boy was in the home with several other family members - but no arrests were made in the case... until now. 

It has been revealed that Boo's grandmother, Sherry Connor, 61, was arrested and charged for his death. 

Connor faces multiple counts, ranging from manslaughter for recklessly causing the death of a juvenile, to assault, witness tampering and negligent homicide, according to a joint statement from New Hampshire State Police and the Laconia Police Department.

The death of Dennis 'Boo' Vaughn Jr., 5, was ruled a homicide after he was discovered inside a two-story townhouse in Laconia, New Hampshire, with blunt force trauma to the head and neck

It has been revealed that Boo's grandmother, Sherry Connor, 61, was arrested and charged for his death

The law enforcement agencies announced on Friday that Connor will be arraigned in Belknap County Superior Court at a later date.

Her shocking arrest comes almost five years after the devastating murder that has been documented thoroughly by New Hampshire media outlets. 

Connor had been the prime suspect because the little boy had died in her apartment - but she allegedly said that he had died of 'natural causes,' despite the autopsy results ruling otherwise. 

Locals and officials were baffled by the case for years and appalled that the case had not been cracked.

Locals and officials were baffled by the case for years and appalled that the case had not been cracked

Locals rallied behind the Vaughan family to try and bring justice to the little boy 

One local woman, July Anderson, marched into the Laconia mayor's office in October 2023 with a picture of Boo to remind the mayor that the murder had not been solved.

She started a GoFundMe - which raised $3,000 for the family. 

'The Vaughan family had their sweet, adorable 5 year old son and brother, Dennis Vaughan, Jr., murdered in the most shocking and brutal way,' the GoFundMe said. 

'His nickname was Boo. Sadly, Boo was murdered on Christmas Eve 2019, and his murder remains unsolved more than 3 years later.' 

Anderson spent her career investigating abuse reports at the Division for Children, Youth and Families. 

At the time of his death, the little boy was in the home with several other family members - but no arrests were made in the case... until now

Laconia Family Court records show that in April 2018, Connor (his grandmother) was appointed the boy’s guardian

'It’s just in my nature to say something’s wrong here. Something is not right,' she said of Boo's case. 

Boo's mother Danielle Vaughan, 31, said shortly after his death: 'My heart is broken. I’m dying inside knowing that I did every possible thing I could do to remove him and my other children from the home, but no one listened.'

At the time of the little boy's fatal injury, Danielle was in the process of trying to regain guardianship of her children from her mother, their maternal grandmother, Connor. 

Laconia Family Court records show that in April 2018, Connor was appointed the boy’s guardian. That guardianship was part of a plan for the child, who was in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services.