Prosecutor Daniel Conley told a press conference the boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, 35, was facing a count of murder.
Advertisement
The name of the girl has been revealed as Bella Bond.
The girl became known as Baby Doe as investigators trying to find out who she was and how she died launched a massive social media campaign including a composite sketch of her, showing her chubby cheeks and brown eyes.
DeLeo says the mother and boyfriend are blaming each other “as to who harmed the child”.
On June 25, a woman walking her dog on Deer Island called police after finding the girl’s body in a trash bag. Police released the dead girl’s identity today as 3-year-old Bella Bond.
“We allege that McCarthy caused Bella’s death, that he did so intentionally, that he and Bond took specific steps to keep Bella’s death a secret and to avoid prosecution.”
An autopsy did not show cause of death, and for months the police were completely stumped by the baby girl’s case.
As law enforcement officials appeared to have scored a break in the Massachusetts case, people in Maine remain haunted by one of the longest unsolved child killings on the books: the case of an infant known as Baby Jane Doe.
A composite image depicting her likely appearance was circulated widely, viewed more than 50 million times, State Police said. Residents said when they didn’t see the girl anymore they were told that she was taken away by the child welfare officials.
Rachelle Bond had her parental rights terminated for two of her older children Between 2001 and 2006, by the Department of Children and Families. She was wearing black and white polka dot leggings and “was found with a zebra-print fleece blanket that investigators believe may have been special to her”, according to a State Police statement. The DA said her age was just short of 3 years old.
They were flooded with tips, which led authorities to check on the well-being of dozens of little girls but did not lead them to Baby Doe’s family.
“We don’t know if that’s a complete and accurate representation of her”, Conley said, but he said officials were confident it was a “pretty close likeness”. There were no obvious signs of trauma to her body.
An analysis of the pollen on the girl’s clothing indicated that she was likely from the Boston area.
The couple was picked up after Boston homicide detectives received a tip Thursday, the source said.
Advertisement
“In the almost three months, we have endeavored to speak for a true innocent”, Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty said Friday.
