Baby Doe's mom and her boyfriend in custody after Boston shore tot found in June is identified: Bella Bond was not reported missing but breakthrough came after a tipster recognized the police sketch

  • Authorities have identified 'Baby Doe' as two-year-old Bella Neveah Amoroso Bond, the daughter of 40-year-old Rachelle Bond of Mattapan 
  • Official said police searched apartment in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood on Thursday after a tip-off and have been in contact with family members
  • Bond and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Michael McCarthy, have been arrested in connection with the girl's death
  • McCarthy faces a murder charge while Bond faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder, and they are expected to be arraigned on Monday 
  • Authorities said they were able to match Bella's identity with clothes she was found wearing on Deer Island in Winthrop on June 25

After three months, the washed up toddler found dead on a Boston Harbor beach and known simply as Baby Doe has been identified as Bella Bond - and her mom is in custody thanks to tip-offs from neighbors. 

The tragic girl has been named as two-year-old Bella Neveah Amoroso Bond, the daughter of 40-year-old Rachelle Bond of the Boston neighborhood Mattapan.

The mother and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Michael McCarthy, have been arrested in connection with the Bella's death. McCarthy is not the girl's biological father, a law enforcement source said.

McCarthy faces a murder charge while Bond faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder. They are expected to be arraigned on Monday. 

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Authorities have identified 'Baby Doe' who was found dead on a Boston Harbor beach in June, a law enforcement official says
'Baby Doe' has been identified as Bella, the daughter of 40-year-old Rachelle Bond

'Baby Doe' who was found dead on a Boston Harbor beach in June, has been identified as Bella, the daughter of 40-year-old Rachelle Bond.  A computer-generated image of her is shown left with striking similarities to what she looked like in pictures posted by her mother on Facebook

Bella and Bond pictured on Christmas day last year. Bond was arrested today along with her boyfriend

Bella and Bond pictured on Christmas day last year. Bond was arrested today along with her boyfriend

Bond and Bella pictured above. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said during the conference that Bond had other children who were older

Bond and Bella pictured above. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said during the conference that Bond had other children who were older

Bond (pictured) and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Michael McCarthy, have been arrested in connection with the girl's death
McCarthy (pictured) and Bond will be arraigned on Monday

Bond (left) and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Michael McCarthy (right), have been arrested in connection with the girl's death

On Friday, a press conference was held where Speaker Robert DeLeo confirmed that Bella is Baby Doe and that the two arrests have been made.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said during a later briefing that information on the cause of death will be released on Monday, adding that her life ended 'by violence in the place she should have felt safest: in her home'.

'We have a very good idea of what happened to her based on evidence,' Conley said on Friday. 

'We have powerful evidence has provided us a manner of death that we will be able to prove in court.'

Conley said a descriptive account of what happened to Bella would be released in a press conference on Monday. 

The state medical examiner still has to confirm Bella's identity through positive DNA testing. 

'The men and women who investigated this case have given her her name back. Now we will give her justice,' Massachusetts State Police Col Richard McKeon said.

DeLeo said Bond and McCarthy, who are in custody, are blaming each other for Bella's death. He also added that McCarthy has drug issues. 

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F Conley briefs the media on developments in the Baby Doe case and arrests of her mother Rachelle Bond and her mother's boyfriend Michael McCarthy in DA Conley's Law Library in Boston on Friday

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F Conley briefs the media on developments in the Baby Doe case and arrests of her mother Rachelle Bond and her mother's boyfriend Michael McCarthy in DA Conley's Law Library in Boston on Friday

MWRA officials and employees bow their heads in a moment of silence for Baby Doe during a small ceremony honoring the memory of the girl known as Baby Doe at the site where her body was found last month on Deer Island

MWRA officials and employees bow their heads in a moment of silence for Baby Doe during a small ceremony honoring the memory of the girl known as Baby Doe at the site where her body was found last month on Deer Island

Audrey Turner and Paul Turner, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, visit the makeshift memorial at the site where Bella was found

Audrey Turner and Paul Turner, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, visit the makeshift memorial at the site where Bella was found

Winthrop resident Renee O'Brien came to see the small memorial planned by the MWRA honoring the memory of Bella Bond

Winthrop resident Renee O'Brien came to see the small memorial planned by the MWRA honoring the memory of Bella Bond

Frederick Laskey of the MWRA reacts to learning the identity of Baby Doe, as Bella Bond, near the spot where she was found last month on Deer Island. MWRA officials raised money and bought a bench, a tree, and a statue of a baby deer in honor of Bella

Frederick Laskey of the MWRA reacts to learning the identity of Baby Doe, as Bella Bond, near the spot where she was found last month on Deer Island. MWRA officials raised money and bought a bench, a tree, and a statue of a baby deer in honor of Bella

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said during the conference that Bond had other children who were older.

Earlier, an official said police searched a Dorchester apartment on Thursday and they have been in contact with family members.

Conley said during a press conference on Friday that Bella's father had been identified by police, but information about him would not be released to the public at this time.

The girl's 44-year-old aunt told the Boston Herald this afternoon she can also confirm Baby Doe was her niece.

'Oh, my God, I can't believe it,' Tamera Bond added. 'I thought the picture looked like Bella, but Bella was a little chubbier.'

Tamera Bond said the last time she saw Bella was nine months ago, in January.  

Bella's grandmother, who did not want to be identified, told WCVB that she didn't know her granddaughter existed - she hadn't spoke to her daughter Bond in 14 years. 

'I think we maybe have to see our priest or something because i don't know what to do. This is shocking,' she said. 'I think it's our responsibility to do something.' 

Bond faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder
McCarthy faces a murder charge.

McCarthy faces a murder charge while Bond faces a charge of accessory after the fact of murder. They will be arraigned on Monday

Speaker Robert DeLeo said that Bond, pictured in mug shot from a 2008 arrest, was taken into custody in Lynn 

Speaker Robert DeLeo said that Bond, pictured in mug shot from a 2008 arrest, was taken into custody in Lynn 

In this Facebook photo from Christmas Day last year, Bond wrote 'the hubby and daughter'. The identity of the man in the picture is not clear

In this Facebook photo from Christmas Day last year, Bond wrote 'the hubby and daughter'. The identity of the man in the picture is not clear

Authorities said they were able to match Bella's identity with the clothes she was found wearing when her body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop on June 25

Authorities said they were able to match Bella's identity with the clothes she was found wearing when her body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop on June 25

A tip-off from neighbors brought the nearly three-month long search to determine the girl's identity to an end on Thursday. 

The Boston Herald reported that Siomy Torres, who had lived in the Maxwell Street building on the Dorchester-Mattapan line since June 2014, said state police showed up at her home and started questioning her about her neighbor's daughter.

'They told me they were looking for the little girl, and asked me if I'd seen her,' Torres said.

She said state police showed her the composite picture of Baby Doe and she recognized it.

'I haven't seen her in months. I usually hear her because her room is against the backside of my apartment. I usually hear her crying or running around the house and I haven't heard that,' Torres said. 'I used to see her every day. Running around.'

A DCF spokeswoman said it had contact with Bella twice between August and December 2012 and June and September 2013 on allegations of neglect, WCVB reported.

'Since June, the Department has been working closely with law enforcement on exploring dozens of leads in hopes to identify the little girl found on Deer Island,' DCF spokeswoman Rhonda Mann said.

'Now that we know her name, the story is no less tragic. DCF has not had an open case with this family for over two years, but did have brief involvement with Baby Bella as an infant. 

Last week, it was reported that a redesigned digital highway billboard (shown above) featuring the computer generated image of the girl was to be displayed in 50 different locations across Massachusetts

Last week, it was reported that a redesigned digital highway billboard (shown above) featuring the computer generated image of the girl was to be displayed in 50 different locations across Massachusetts

The nearly three-month long search to determine the girl's identity came to an end on Thursday when sources said the Boston Police Homicide Unit was tipped off on September 17
On Facebook, Bond calls her daughter 'My love, my soul, my life. My heart beats because she's in my world'

Bella is pictured left helping bake a pizza and right, playing guitar with her mother in these Facebook photos

'Our thoughts are with Bella's extended family as the investigation into her death continues.'

It was earlier reported on Friday that police were searching for Bond and McCarthy as persons of interest in the case. 

Authorities said they were able to match Bella's identity with the clothes she was found wearing when her body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop on June 25, according to the Daily Beast.

She was wrapped in a zebra-print blanket and was wearing black-and-white polka-dot leggings.

In photos seen on social media, Bella is wearing a pair of black-and-white polka-dot leggings, but Conley would not confirm if these were the leggings she was found in. 

Her body did not have fingerprints when she was found due to erosion by the tide and investigators have not determined a cause of death.

On Facebook, Bond posted several photos of Bella as they cuddled, cooked together and the mother once called Bella 'My love, my soul, my life. My heart beats because she's in my world.'

In another post she wrote: 'Love her to death. I am on top of the world because of her. My life is complete again and worth living. I give her the world and more if I can...' 

On August 6, 2014, Bond made a post on her daughter's second birthday saying 'My lil bell. It's her b'day today. Happy birthday my sweetest thing ever...' 

The last photos Bond shared of Bella on Facebook were on Christmas day last year.

The girl had previously been named Baby Doe by investigators and was estimated to be four years old
Her body was found in a trash bag on Deer Island on June 25 by a woman walking a dog

The girl had previously been named Baby Doe by investigators and was estimated to be four years old. Her body was found in a trash bag on Deer Island on June 25 by a woman walking a dog

Neighbors said that men were in and out of Bond's home and that the mother was nice but yelled at the girl a lot

Neighbors said that men were in and out of Bond's home and that the mother was nice but yelled at the girl a lot

A spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney's office said the investigation remains 'very active.' A state police spokesman did not immediately return calls.

Bella was named Baby Doe by investigators and was estimated to be four years old. Based on photos on social media, however, Bella was just shy of three years old when she died. 

She was believed to have had brown eyes, brown hair, weighed about 30 pounds and stood at about three-and-a-half-feet tall.

Her body was found in June by a woman walking a dog.

Bella's case has since sparked a massive social media campaign to try and find out what happened to her.

A computer-generated image of her brought about an estimated 60million views in two weeks and a search spanned across at least 36 states.

A tip line also brought in hundreds of leads, with investigators ruling out more than 200 girls.

Police had originally believed she had washed ashore when her body was discovered.

Massachusetts State Police Col Richard McKeon said during a press conference on Friday that he would seek justice for Bella

Neighbors identified the apartment searched on Thursday night on Maxwell Street as the home of Bond

Neighbors identified the apartment searched on Thursday night on Maxwell Street as the home of Bond

However, in July they announced they believed she was already dead when she was left on the rocks, wrapped in a zebra print blanket, as her body was not waterlogged enough to have been in the ocean for an extended period of time.

Authorities had also said that they believed it was likely she lived in the area and that whoever disposed of her body picked the site because of convenience and proximity.

An analysis of pollen samples of items recovered from the trash bag have also led authorities to believe that Baby Doe spent time in several of the New England states, and not solely the Greater Boston area as it was originally believed, according to WCSH 6.

Last week, it was reported that a redesigned digital highway billboard featuring the photograph of Baby Doe will be displayed in 50 different locations across Massachusetts.

The billboard includes a picture of the black-and-white polka dots she was wearing when found, as well as the words 'Remember me? Then please tell the police!' and the number for a tip line. 

State police said the intent for the redesign was to help keep Baby Doe in people's mind.

A map of Deer Island where Bella was found is shown above. Police had originally believed she had washed ashore but later announced they believed she was already dead when she was left on the rocks

A map of Deer Island where Bella was found is shown above. Police had originally believed she had washed ashore but later announced they believed she was already dead when she was left on the rocks

 Bella was found wrapped in a zebra-print blanket and was wearing black-and-white polkadot leggings

 Bella was found wrapped in a zebra-print blanket and was wearing black-and-white polkadot leggings

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