Detectives from the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations on Thursday arrested 26-year-old Joshua Blow for the alleged First Degree Murder of 2-year-old Aiden Haskins on Tuesday, police say.
According to an earlier news release, Blow was Haskins’ mother’s boyfriend, and the child was “being cared for” by him at the time of the death.
Haskins is the third young child killed in Vermont this year. In February, 2-year-old Dezirae Sheldon was killed when her stepfather allegedly crushed her skull. In April, 15-month-old Peighton Geraw died hours after a visit from a case worker with the Department for Children and Families. Geraw's mother, Nytosha Laforce, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
The deaths of Sheldon and Geraw have prompted calls for reform in the department, and lawmakers Wednesday took testimony in Montpelier in an effort to improve the state's ability to care for children.
Blow is set to be arraigned Friday in Vermont Superior Court.
