25 deaths and 81 abuse, neglect, or exploitation cases in disability system in second half of 2025

Twenty-five people died within New Hampshire’s intellectual and developmental disability care system in the final six months of 2025, according to newly obtained documents. Additionally, there were at least 81 founded instances of abuse, neglect, or exploitation during that time in the system, the documents show.

The Bulletin obtained the documents Thursday through an open records request to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

This system, which is overseen by the state and paid for by taxpayer funding, provides care services for New Hampshire’s adult developmental disability population. The state contracts with 10 private agencies, each responsible for a region of the state, to coordinate care. In November, the Bulletin reported on rampant and systemic abuse and neglect being perpetrated — sometimes fatally — by caretakers against people with disabilities within this system.

Six of the 25 deaths were deemed unanticipated by the state. Listed causes of death include “brain injury from fall caused by AFIB” (atrial fibrillation, a medical condition involving irregular heartbeat); heart failure; four cancer deaths; three choking-related deaths (one was listed as “suspected choking”); three deaths from infections like pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19; and five were simply “unknown at time of report.”

In the first half of 2025 — January through June — 27 people died in the system, according to documents previously obtained by the Bulletin. That includes an “intercranial hemorrage” death, two organ failure deaths, and seven unknown causes of death. In all 12 months of 2024, there were 57 deaths, and in 2023, there were 36 deaths, according to the documents.

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The Bureau of Adult and Aging Services — which houses Adult Protective Services — and the Office of Client and Legal Services completed 289 investigations into reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation from July through December 2025, according to the state records. Of those, 81 were deemed credible by investigators.

From January 2023 through June 2025, there were 1,405 investigations, of which 467 were deemed credible, according to documents previously obtained by the Bulletin. The formatting of the previously obtained documents prevented the sorting of investigations into six-month increments.

Since the Bulletin’s November reporting, a state senator has filed legislation seeking to increase oversight and data sharing within this system; that bill was approved by the Senate Thursday and will now be considered by the House.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte vowed to “continue to make sure that these are investigated” and “follow through with any changes that need to be made to the system.” The Disability Rights Center-NH, a federally funded watchdog agency, launched an investigation into the system in late November.

The state Attorney General’s Office launched a probe and is “assisting DHHS in reviewing and improving oversight processes, and at the Governor’s direction, we are working to ensure that any potential criminal conduct is identified and addressed appropriately,” it said in an email.

And the state’s Systems Review Committee has launched a formal review and is holding a series of meetings across eight months to inform the public about the system and ask questions of system officials.