Boston

Bella Bond's Mother Admits to Drug Use, May Have Violated Probation

Rachelle Bond, who helped dispose of her 2-year-old daughter's body in 2015, has tested positive for drugs and may have violated her probation.

Authorities with the Massachusetts Probation Services said they received a notice of the alleged violation on Aug. 10. after Bond admitted to drug use.

As a result, Bond will participate in intensive outpatient treatment and will appear at a compliance hearing on Sept. 19.

Bond was on two-year probation beginning July 12, 2017, and violated it by testing positive on a May 7 drug screen, the Massachusetts Probation Service said. She also failed to attend a scheduled probation office visit on May 4 and failed to provide verification of counseling.

Bond, 42, of Boston, pleaded guilty last February to accessory after the fact in the killing of her daughter, Bella Bond. She also pleaded guilty to larceny over $250 for accepting public assistance after her daughter's death.

She was sentenced to time served and placed on probation. She could have faced up to 17 years in prison if she had been convicted.

Her probation conditions included refraining from alcohol and drugs, random substance testing, undergoing a mental health and substance abuse evaluation and related treatment recommended by probation. She was also ordered to not live with anyone using illegal drugs.

Because she violated her probation, Bond was placed back on probation with the same conditions, plus the added condition that she comply with an additional form of drug testing.

Bond's former boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, was convicted last year of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in Bella Bond's killing.

As part of her plea deal, Rachelle Bond testified against McCarthy at his trial, telling jurors she walked into a bedroom and saw McCarthy punching her daughter hard in the abdomen. She said she did not report her daughter's death to police because McCarthy threatened to kill her.

Bella Bond was dubbed "Baby Doe" after her body washed up on a Boston Harbor island in the summer of 2015. Her body was found in a trash bag by a dog walker, and it was months before detectives were able to identify her.

Three months later, both Bond and McCarthy were arrested after Bond told a friend that McCarthy had killed her daughter.

Contact Us