MA - Bella Bond, 2, found dead, Deer Island, Boston Harbor, June 2015 - #2

[tiffay01]

I can't help but wonder if LE has a good idea who she is, but are collecting the rest of necessary info to get a conviction. Would they delay announcing her name, in order to keep the suspects close?

 

[cvaldez1975]

i think they ruled out bleach and the other becuase they are caustic and would have burned her throat and stomach. i dont think tox told them this and i dont think the tox came back yet.

Those statements may seem to conflict each other, but I am thinking it is possible that she got into the medicine cabinent or found a drug stash. "Chemicals" is an interesting word to use, it makes me think they are referring to what we would think of as poision (it's only purpose being to kill the victim). Maybe they are saying that no one put together a concocation with rat poision or w/e else, but it's possible that Baby Doe found something in the house that killed her.


- See more at: http://www.bostonnewstime.com/regio...ikely-from-the-area.html#sthash.crWd7Fy6.dpuf

 

[ohiomom73]

I can't help but wonder if LE has a good idea who she is, but are collecting the rest of necessary info to get a conviction. Would they delay announcing her name, in order to keep the suspects close?

Very high possibility. Although I'm curious about the recent tip line thing. Is this just a method to get the perp to call or text?

 

[SwizzleStix]

After seeing that up close picture of the blanket, I think it is the actual blanket. Why else would there be hair on it? I wonder if they ran the DNA found on those hairs.

Also emotions are clearly running high on this thread but let's try and stay focused on what we're here for. We all want this girl to have justice and her name back. Maybe together we can think of ways to get her photo and story back in the front lines.

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[cvaldez1975]

possibly it is a real pic of the blanketr and the patns were altered because there was the release of urine and or feces at death?

also you know what would be helpful is a pic of her teeth, or a smiling recon.

 

[tamild]

possibly it is a real pic of the blanketr and the patns were altered because there was the release of urine and or feces at death?

also you know what would be helpful is a pic of her teeth, or a smiling recon.

I agree. I believe that's why we still have no ID. The reconstruction of her may be close, but not close enough. There are so many little girls who have the same shape of face. It would be her eyes and her smile that make her "her." I don't know if there is any way to do that post-mortem :-(

 

[Kaliste]

I can not think of a time my toddler wore leggings without panties and a shirt. So... what does this tell us about her demise? Was she undressed? Did the person who killed her start to dress her and then give up after putting her into leggings and wrap her in the blanket instead? Could she have drowned in a bath? WHY would she be unclothed completely when she died?

Terrible thought here but it's possible the clothing she died in were soiled with vomit, urine, feces, or evidence of some sort. The killer may have washed the baby or discarded the clothing. They may have intended to redress her in something clean either before or after death but it wasn't easy do to on either a struggling/sick kid or dead limp one.

Imagining that made me feel ill.


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[Kaliste]

Many 4, 5 and 6 year olds are still in a 5point harness car seat or booster. The bottom buckle can be difficult for parents to undo. My own nearly 6 yr old can not undo herself. So a hot car death could be possible.


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[Kaliste]

I can't help but wonder if LE has a good idea who she is, but are collecting the rest of necessary info to get a conviction. Would they delay announcing her name, in order to keep the suspects close?

I sincerely hope so but the pressed yesterday with the 24 hour hotline and text to tip number makes me think otherwise.


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[fruity]

Many 4, 5 and 6 year olds are still in a 5point harness car seat or booster. The bottom buckle can be difficult for parents to undo. My own nearly 6 yr old can not undo herself. So a hot car death could be possible.


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Definitely possible but wouldn't that be obvious, physically? I keep thinking about the description of little Cooper a Harris' body after he died

 

[joypath]

Finally getting an opportunity to "catch-up"! Read the thread & made a few notes that might help us stay the course:

Drowning: frequently there is a foam/froth @ the mouth, fluid is within the resp. tract, often seen only in the alveoli of the lungs(either "visible" or on microscopic analysis. For a reference: (http://www.ask.com/science/function-alveoli-e29b3e12a34439f)

"shaken baby": or another term, brain injury! Trauma is evident when the brain is dissected/or even overtly visible when the brain is exposed! The contre-coup injury causes dural hematomas (bruising & blood clots within the brains lining), brain swelling and frequently/usually issues within the ocular area/cavity. Sometimes the external bruising is not noticed until hours later, even days!

chemical ingestion: Foreign substances may/can present as oral cavity, esophageal damage, each depending on the caustic nature of the substance. Fingertip & skin damage may also be present if the victim attempts to "claw out" or vomit the substance. Liver & kidney tissue damage might be evident on gross but definitely on microscopic analysis, depending on the substance and/or duration of exposure.

CO poisoning: "cherry red" coloration of the skin, elevation of specific hemoglobin type in the blood, significant changes in cardio-thoracic tissues on microscopic examination.

Medications (legal or otherwise!): Possible vomitus present in the resp. tract, possible residual material in the gastric contents but frequently NO external visible clues other than sometimes a "frothing" @ the mouth. Testing of body fluids & tissues for classes of drugs via screening techniques and/or GC-MS.
PS: urine screens: Testing for a OCME customized panel or for "routine" drugs of abuse like the DOT or employment screens, usually done immediately after/or during internal autopsy examination, has specific "cut-off" levels within the testing protocol therefore a secondary or tertiary protocol was probably used in this case. The urine screen is exactly that, a "screen" that results in presumptive positive reactions which require a more specific test for confirmation. Other body fluids & tissues are tested by more specific, time intensive testing protocols.

Phosphine gas/meth. exposure: IF the meth product had been ingested, it will show up in the routine drug testing as a metabolite. The phosphine gas produced while making the "stuff" does require a highly specialized collection method & testing equipment (HS-GC/NPD).


IMHO: Both the blanket & leggings are shown on "butcher paper" backgrounds, butcher paper being the surface upon which evidence envelopes/bags are opened in order to preserve & collect any ancillary evidence material present within the clothing.


Regarding the time required to complete body fluid/tissue studies: here's a news feature regarding another NE case: http://www.ask.com/science/function-alveoli-e29b3e12a34439f

And YES, a "rush" was put on the laboratory analysis (aka it "bumped" other cases & folks did OT!)

 

[Kaliste]

Definitely possible but wouldn't that be obvious, physically? I keep thinking about the description of little Cooper a Harris' body after he died

Probably




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[ninij9]

The geographical setting to the location this little girl was found reminds me of the LI serial killer and the Alantic City serial killings. I dont think I will ever look at a coast line the same. Ever.

I will be at Gilgo Beach tomorrow ::shudder::

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[shantastic]

I can not think of a time my toddler wore leggings without panties and a shirt. So... what does this tell us about her demise? Was she undressed? Did the person who killed her start to dress her and then give up after putting her into leggings and wrap her in the blanket instead? Could she have drowned in a bath? WHY would she be unclothed completely when she died?

My 4 y/o son always takes his underwear off when he uses the bathroom. He will fully remove underwear, pants, socks & shoes. When he's finished, he'll put his pants back on but never his underwear. I'm constantly finding his discarded underwear on the bathroom floor. Every. Single. Day. Haha! My kids also don't wear underwear or shirts to bed, just pajama bottoms. I guess I'm not so focused on the lack of underwear/shirt because I'm used to it, but maybe it's something locals can look out for- discarded toddler clothes in strange places (side of the road, etc).

 

[Tssiemer]

Never mind. I'm dumb.


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[debirlfan]

Medications (legal or otherwise!): Possible vomitus present in the resp. tract, possible residual material in the gastric contents but frequently NO external visible clues other than sometimes a "frothing" @ the mouth. Testing of body fluids & tissues for classes of drugs via screening techniques and/or GC-MS.
PS: urine screens: Testing for a OCME customized panel or for "routine" drugs of abuse like the DOT or employment screens, usually done immediately after/or during internal autopsy examination, has specific "cut-off" levels within the testing protocol therefore a secondary or tertiary protocol was probably used in this case. The urine screen is exactly that, a "screen" that results in presumptive positive reactions which require a more specific test for confirmation. Other body fluids & tissues are tested by more specific, time intensive testing protocols.

I'm wondering if an overdose of something like cold medicine/cough syrup could be distinguished from a "normal" dose, (assuming it could be identified at all)? Would the concentration level in blood/urine change as the body decomposed?

 

[joypath]

I'm wondering if an overdose of something like cold medicine/cough syrup could be distinguished from a "normal" dose, (assuming it could be identified at all)? Would the concentration level in blood/urine change as the body decomposed?

BBM:

Without going into some absolutely boring calculations, the general answer would be YES as each medication has a "half-life". Some medications are weight-based dosages and the medication should be processed in relatively standardized time frame. Since the human organism is deceased, there should be no effective changes in concentration due to decomposition EXCEPT in the alcohol post mortem level (use of vitreous humor level is compared to the concentration in the femoral blood sample). However, possibly in this case IF alcohol were involved as COD or a contributory factor, then there might be a dilution effect from sea water osmosis.
(See isn't this scientific inquiry fraught with ifs, and, maybes, and possibilities; so NOT "Black & White" EVERY TIME!)

 

[KariKae]

In so many of these cases, it seems to be the mother's boyfriend (who is not the child's father) who is the cause of the child's death either through abuse or neglect. It would not surprise me if Baby Doe were left in the care of mom's boyfriend and that is when her death occurred. Mom did not feel she could report the child's death for all of the reasons previously mention (i.e. illegally in the country, removal of other children, or fear of losing her man). Mom wrapped the baby in a favorite blanket and disposed of the body in a place she would be found and receive a proper burial.

If Mom has other children, I wonder if they will talk. Sooner or later, they may innocently let something slip.

 

[cobalt sky]

Regarding COD, I keep coming back to suffocation/smothering but thought for sure that there would be obvious signs of this at autopsy... petechial hemorrhages beneath the conjunctivae, for example. But then I did a little bit of reading on it and apparently it is possible for there to be no overt signs? I was unable to copy and paste from this page so I am providing the link... what stood out to me is the information under the paragraphs titled "Environmental Suffocation" and "Autopsy".

http://www.forensicpathologyonline.com/e-book/asphyxia/suffocation-smothering

My opinion as it stands right now is that this little girl died from suffocation or drug overdose, or a combination of the two. She may have been drugged to sleep, then suffocated or was smothered. I think this is very possible, she would have died quietly without fighting, which would explain the lack of injury or outward signs of what caused her death (she couldn't fight back when she was being smothered, for example). I also think that LE knows or has a very good idea of how she died but is keeping that information to themselves. I'm wondering if there were any signs of molestation/sexual assault. If so, I'm wondering if someone was afraid that she was going to tell someone about it and decided that she needed to be silenced?

 

[Migmuu]

Smothering will often show no outward signs. That's how at least two women (Marybeth Tinning and Waneta Hoyt) have gotten away with killing multiple babies: they smothered them to death but the deaths were attributed to SIDS.

If the person doing the smothering does it hard enough, though, the forensic pathologist may find indentations from the victim's teeth on the inside of their upper and/or lower lip. That tells you there was a weight that stayed for a fairly long time on the child's mouth and probably their nose too.