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Police finally identify the body of Boston's 'Baby Doe'
The body of the 2-year-old girl found dead in a bag on Massachusetts' Deer Island this summer — who went unidentified for three months despite enormous public attention and campaigns — has at long last been ID'd, The Daily Beast reports. The girl's name was Bella.
Officials have announced they are searching for Bella's mother, Rachelle Bond, 40, of Mattapan, Massachusetts, and Michael McCarthy, 35, as persons of interest in the case; both Bond and McCarthy vanished around the time Bella did. One tipster, however, reported noticing that Bella was missing from Bond's home when the pair was still there. When he or she asked Bond about it, the tipster was told the Department of Children and Families had taken the girl into custody. Neighbors have also been in contact with the police:
Aileen Hermiz, who lives upstairs and played with [Bella], said the mother was nice but yelled at the girl a lot. The mother would sometimes come upstairs to borrow a phone or get an internet password, she said."I can't believe a mother could do that to her child," she said. "I think if she did something like that it would show reaction, but she was really quiet." [Boston Globe]
A woman walking her dog on Deer Island discovered Bella's body on June 25. A composite photo of "Baby Doe," as Bella was known until her identification, was shared and viewed on social media by 54 million users.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
