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Mother, Boyfriend Arraigned in 'Baby Doe' Murder Case

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on September 22, 2015 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The case of 'Baby Doe' took Boston, and eventually the nation, by storm when the female toddler's body was found in a trash bag on Deer Island in the Boston Harbor. Yesterday, the girl's mother and her boyfriend were arraigned in District Court, accused of murdering the girl and covering it up.

Michael McCarthy has been charged with murder and held without bail, while Rachelle Bond was charged as an accessory after the fact and had her bail set at $1 million. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The Life of Bella

The body of Bella Bond, initially referred to as "Baby Doe," was found by a dog walker on June 25 and identified last week. As investigators revealed in yesterday's arraignment, the details of Bond's short life and death are horrifying and tragic.

According to a lifelong friend of McCarthy's who lived with the couple briefly before the child's death, both McCarthy and Bond would verbally and physically abuse Bella. As an example of their abuse, they would lock the girl in a closet for 30 minutes to an hour at a time while the child screamed to be let out.

The same friend confronted McCarthy after Baby Doe billboards with a picture resembling Bella began appearing around Boston. McCarthy allegedly told the friend that child protective services took the child away.

Life in Prison?

McCarthy also allegedly told the friend that Bella was possessed by demons. According to Bond, McCarthy said the same to her when she found him standing over what she thought was her child's lifeless body two months ago: "She was a demon anyway. It was her time to die."

While both remain incarcerated and maintain their innocence, it may be impossible to determine exactly what happened to Bella. The medical examiner has not yet released a cause of death. Bond says she was drugged and held against her will after the child's death. McCarthy maintains he thought the state had custody of Bella until officers told him she had been killed.

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