Funeral Held For Bella Bond, Girl Previously Known As 'Baby Doe'
WINTHROP (CBS/AP) — A private funeral was held for a 2-year-old girl who was known for months as Baby Doe after her remains were found in a plastic bag on Deer Island more than five months ago.
The service for Bella Bond was held Saturday morning at a funeral home in Winthrop, Massachusetts. She was to be buried with her great-grandmother.
A handmade quilt was draped over Bond's casket.
The girl has a special place in the heart of the community where she was found.
"She's looked upon as a daughter of our town, as a daughter of Winthrop," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo.
Winthrop City Councilman Phil Boncore said "she touched so many hearts."
A composite image of the girl was shared by millions on social media before she was identified in September.
Her mother's boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, has been charged with murder. Her mother, Rachelle Bond, is charged with being an accessory. Both pleaded not guilty.
Initially, family members planned to hold a public funeral service for the toddler. But her biological said that instead, the burial would be private at the request of the girl's mother.
The public did have an opportunity to say one last goodbye to Bella at St. John the Evangelist Church on Winthrop Street after the funeral.
"I think that gives us some good feeling," says DeLeo. "She can look down and say that she was loved, and that she was loved by an awful lot of people."
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