TX TX - Mary Cerruti, 61, Houston, Feb 2015

[madamx]

I wonder if the Rental company and the workers were interviewed by police when they made the statement that she was dead..I wonder how long it was from the time that Mary was last seen until the fire department went into her house... Also the article mentions that her friend tried reporting her missing. Also..after the cats are removed didn't anyone notice the smell of death lingering in the house? How could they not know there was a body there? I do notice in the reality photos that the fans are on in the rooms which makes me wonder if the place was still stinking.

Looks like a realtor bought as a rental investment property, and even through the extensive renovations no one found her until the couple rented it and moved in.

https://www.google.com/amp/abc13.com/amp/news/home-where-skeletal-remains-found-for-sale/1787361/

 

[madamx]

Omg I KNOW! I think this bothers me the most.

Oh I hate reading about her fur babies.

 

[*Verdigris]

...
I keep checking, but nothing since the photo article.
I wonder how long it is going to take for them to identfy her (or not her.)

Wonder if maybe they are thinking foul play? I wish there were more info about whether she could have accidentally fallen and ended up there, herself...
Poor kittycats.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Mystery remains over skeletal remains found in Heights home[/h]
HOUSTON — There are still no answers in a bizarre Heights mystery that had the whole city talking earlier this year.
Records show the medical examiner has ruled the cause of death is "undetermined." They also haven't been able to determine if the remains are Mary Cerutti, the woman who lived in the house at 610 Allston.
Renters were moving into the bungalow in March when they found the human remains in an attic wall. They also found a pair of red eyeglasses similar to those worn by Cerutti, who was 61.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/neig...letal-remains-found-in-heights-home/449325270

 

[Houston Mom]

Hmmm.... I wonder if any relative of Mary Cerruti could come forward to submit DNA.

 

[madamx]

I wonder if she even has family... this whole thing is just so so sad

Hmmm.... I wonder if any relative of Mary Cerruti could come forward to submit DNA.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]New clues revealed in mystery of skeleton in Heights home wall[/h]

According to an autopsy report, the remains were badly damaged by "extensive postmortem animal activity." Investigators said they did exhibit characteristics consistent with a white woman over 40 -- like Cerruti -- but the remains will be sent to the University of North Texas for further testing.

http://abc13.com/news/new-clues-revealed-in-mystery-of-skeleton-in-heights-home/2164912/

 

[Spellbound]

http://rare.us/local/houston/the-au...k-but-investigators-just-have-more-questions/


http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/h...opsy-owner-Mary-Cerruti-11253512.php?ipid=ntk
has "self-portrait" video made by Mary, shows her cats, the house being surrounded by the new construction, and more.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Heights human remains found in crawl space closer to being ID'd, police believe[/h]

Investigators believe the remains are Cerutti, "However, we can't just go on what we think."

Investigators sent samples of mitochondrial DNA from the remains to a specialized lab at the University of North Texas. There, scientists compared it to several of Cerutti's male cousins.

But since mitochondrial DNA is passed on from the mother and the cousins were related to Cerutti's father, the DNA could not be matched.

Investigators are hoping eyeglasses found near the remains will help identify the woman.
"We don't have as much information from the body as we really would like to have and we don't have the relatives because her parents are deceased. She has no siblings," Derrick said.
Officials urge anyone with information about Cerutti to call the Harris County Center for Forensic Science at 832-927-5000.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/...awl-space-closer-to-being-id-d-police-believe

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Skeletal remains found in Heights home identified as woman missing since 2015

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Science said the skeletal remains were those of Mary Cerruti, 61, who once owned the home and who has not been seen missing since 2015.

Tax records show that Cerruti owned the home, but foreclosure proceedings indicated that she had missed 10 loan payments by January 2015.

Police said in August of 2015, a friend of Cerruti's reported her missing and said he had not spoken to her in about six months. Police said officers went into the home and found several dead and decaying cats. Neighbors said Cerruti was known to care for stray cats in the neighborhood.

Police said two distant cousins also came forward in September 2016 after learning that Cerruti was listed as missing while they were conducting genealogy research.

Police said the two cousins offered samples of their DNA, hoping that Cerruti could be identified if she were found. Police said the cousins told officers that they had not had contact with Cerruti since 1985.

Police do not believe that Cerruti had any family in the Houston area.

The last known job that Cerruti held was as a clerk at Casa Ramirez on 19th Street in the Heights. One of the owners told KPRC that it was not uncommon for Cerruti to work for a time and then disappear for a month or two.

They said she was very bright, well-read and creative and had a curious mind. They said the only health problem they knew of was that Cerruti was prone to headaches.

https://amp.click2houston.com/news/...s-home-identified-as-woman-missing-since-2015

RIP Mary 🥀

 

[Gardener1850]

Skeletal remains found in Heights home identified as woman missing since 2015

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Science said the skeletal remains were those of Mary Cerruti, 61, who once owned the home and who has not been seen missing since 2015.

Tax records show that Cerruti owned the home, but foreclosure proceedings indicated that she had missed 10 loan payments by January 2015.

Police said in August of 2015, a friend of Cerruti's reported her missing and said he had not spoken to her in about six months. Police said officers went into the home and found several dead and decaying cats. Neighbors said Cerruti was known to care for stray cats in the neighborhood.

Police said two distant cousins also came forward in September 2016 after learning that Cerruti was listed as missing while they were conducting genealogy research.

Police said the two cousins offered samples of their DNA, hoping that Cerruti could be identified if she were found. Police said the cousins told officers that they had not had contact with Cerruti since 1985.

Police do not believe that Cerruti had any family in the Houston area.

The last known job that Cerruti held was as a clerk at Casa Ramirez on 19th Street in the Heights. One of the owners told KPRC that it was not uncommon for Cerruti to work for a time and then disappear for a month or two.

They said she was very bright, well-read and creative and had a curious mind. They said the only health problem they knew of was that Cerruti was prone to headaches.

https://amp.click2houston.com/news/...s-home-identified-as-woman-missing-since-2015

RIP Mary 鹿

How sweet of her cousins to offer up their DNA but how sad that she had no other close relatives. I might have missed it, but is her cause of death still "undetermined"? It seems strange that she would happen to die while hidden in an attic crawl space.

RIP Mary :rose:

 

[LisaWL7TR]

How sweet of her cousins to offer up their DNA but how sad that she had no other close relatives. I might have missed it, but is her cause of death still "undetermined"? It seems strange that she would happen to die while hidden in an attic crawl space.

RIP Mary :rose:

That's right...I didnt see a cod. There was another article perhaps they included that info.

ETA - More info but no cod?

Investigators said the skeletal remains were in a badly decomposed state, with only glasses and shoes intact.

How Cerruti's body made it into the attic is still a mystery.

http://abc13.com/amp/officials-identify-skeletal-remains-found-in-walls-of-heights-home/2981674/

Another interesting write up with pictures of where Mary was found-

From the photo's and write up below it seems they may still be investigating her cause of death and may never have an answer. It also mentions the dna was inconclusive?

http://m.chron.com/houston/article/...d-as-Mary-Cerruti-12519428.php#photo-14873086

 

[Spellbound]

I wonder if she stored some things up in the attic, went up to get something and stepped off in-between the support boards (assuming there was no okywood or other flooring laid over top). It would be easy to crash through, if she was a tiny lady. I am pushing 70 and would still go up into the attic space, except we finally got everything out from being storing up there.

I wonder if there was a ladder or other sign that she had gone up there herself.

 

[watergirl62]

I wonder if she stored some things up in the attic, went up to get something and stepped off in-between the support boards (assuming there was no okywood or other flooring laid over top). It would be easy to crash through, if she was a tiny lady. I am pushing 70 and would still go up into the attic space, except we finally got everything out from being storing up there.

I wonder if there was a ladder or other sign that she had gone up there herself.

Maybe she was trying to find or rescue a cat that got stuck somewhere it shouldn't be.

 

[Gardener1850]

Houston homeowner dead in wall apparently fell through attic

A spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said Wednesday there wasn't enough physical evidence to determine cause or manner of death for Mary Cerruti. Tricia Bentley says it appears that Cerruti, who was 61 at the time she disappeared, "accidentally fell from her attic."

Neighbors reported Cerruti missing in February 2015. Her home in the Heights neighborhood was later sold at a foreclosure auction. The new owners discovered the remains in a wall space after noticing a broken floorboard in the attic in March 2017.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...S_TXOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

How sad!

 

[*Verdigris]

Maybe she was trying to find or rescue a cat that got stuck somewhere it shouldn't be.

I was just going to write this exact same thing -- poor Mary.
Such a sad case, but I'm glad it is finally official that it's her.

 

[SCHMAE]

God bless her.

 

[*Verdigris]

￣
Oh Lordy... poor Mary.
I don't suppose many WSers are too squeamish, but just in case:
*Graphic Warning*

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/houston/article/Last-word-on-Heights-bone-case-12713313.php

Video slide-show + full (calm) 911 call as well.

I just hope she died instantly, and was not conscious at all while entrapped. A horrifying thought.

add'l link --
Graphic still shots from video, on our love/hate site DM:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-discovered-missing-previous-owner-wall.html

Although I have a good imagination, seeing these just really makes it all the more real and tragic. Poor Mary, all she wanted was to simply live her life in peace, in her little house, with her kittycats.

I do find it rather odd that the cages weren't removed, nor that floor-board repaired, when the house was refurbished and rented-out.
I wonder if workers actually discovered it, but then the owner didn't want to get involved in a work-halting legal fiasco and lose money, so chose not to report it.
gosh.... WS has made me become such a cynic. :sigh:

:rose: RIP Dear Mary :rose:

 

[Inthedetails]

Not sure why this is making news today when it looks like from this thread she was identified already, but here's what was posted today:

"Woman whose bones were found in home likely fell through attic floor, cops believe"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-bones-found-home-fallen-cops-article-1.3850904

 

[Gardener1850]

This story was revived in the news because police released pictures of Mary's remains and the area where she was found. Her cause of death is still undetermined.

Photos at link: http://www.crimeonline.com/2018/03/...lopers-building-a-complex-near-her-residence/

I found this interesting from the above link:

Apparently, Cerruti was the only homeowner in 2015, when refused to agree to a developer building a new apartment complex behind her home. She even showed up to city council meetings to speak up about it. Yet, there’s no evidence that anyone associated with the building plans had anything to do with her death. Although Cerruti reportedly referred to the developers as “the bad guys,” there’s no information to suggest that foul play was involved at all. Cerruti lived alone, aside from numerous cats. The only people who visited her was a friend or two who would stop by occasionally and check in. Some people have theorized that she was targeted, being an older woman who lived alone. Authorities questioned her former husband and neighbors, but found nothing that would link them to her disappearance. Her six cats were also found deceased inside the home.
Neighbors called police in the summer of 2015 after Cerruti’s mail began piling up. For almost two years, no one heard anything from her and police had nothing to go on until the new homeowners crawled into the attic area to store boxes. Her remains were found behind boards in a small, confined area, which neighbor Roxanne Davis found odd, given how small the space was.