After a nearly three-month investigation, authorities have identified a young girl who was found dead on a Boston Harbor beach as Bella Bond. She was previously known as "Baby Doe," and officials believe she was about 3 or 4 years old when she died.
Citing a law enforcement source, CNN reported that the girl's mother and her boyfriend were arrested in connection with the case. The charges against them were expected Friday, according to the network.
"It appears as though it was a situation of the boyfriend who was involved and apparently, I think, mother and boyfriend sort of blaming each other in terms of who harmed the child," Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo (D) said during a news conference.
DeLeo confirmed the identity of the child as Bella Bond. He could not immediately confirm the name of the child's mother. He said the boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, 35, was being treated at a Boston hospital for drug issues. He also said authorities are "in the process of taking a witness or two before the grand jury."
WHDH also reported on the mother's arrest.
Police identified the child after they searched a home in Mattapan, Massachusetts, late Thursday night, WCVB reports.
Investigators said they carried out the search warrant after they received a tip from "someone who said Bella's mother made a comment about her death," WHDH reports.
The girl's remains were found wrapped in a trash bag on June 25. She was wearing white pants with black polka dots and had with her a soft zebra-print blanket.
The discovery of the girl's body sparked a massive social media campaign. Within two weeks, a compose image of the chubby-cheeked, brown-eyed girl had reached an estimated 47 million people on Facebook.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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