5 Key details about Mary Day's murder

Episode 2 of The Curious Case of..., titled The Girl Who Died Twice, features the story of Mary Day and is set to air on January 20, 2025, at 10/9c on ID and Max. The show offers a detailed look into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Mary Day, a young girl who vanished without trace in 1981 and resurfaced twenty years later under mysterious circumstances.

The story of Mary Day starts in Seaside, California, where, at the age of 13, she disappeared from her family home. Her parents never reported her missing, and foul play was suspected. Years later, a woman appeared, claiming to be Mary, but her true identity was doubted. The series traces the complex investigation, family secrets, and DNA evidence's role in uncovering the truth.

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5 key details related to The Curious Case of... subject Mary Day

1) Mary Day's disappearance in 1981

Mary Day disappeared in 1981 (Image via Unsplash @Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona)

Mary Louise Day was a 13-year-old girl who disappeared from her family home in Seaside, California, in 1981. As reported by CBS News, her disappearance was unusual because her parents never filed a missing person report. This raised suspicions of foul play. Mary's stepfather claimed she ran away, but her sisters believed something more sinister occurred.

The lack of immediate investigation created challenges for law enforcement when the case was reopened decades later.

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2) The day when Mary reappeared

According to the CBS News article published in November 2023, a woman claiming to be Mary appeared in Arizona during a routine traffic stop in 2003. Many doubted her identity despite her assertions, as her memories were inconsistent, and her appearance didn't fully match.

Skepticism arose among her siblings and investigators, leading to debates about her true identity. This shocking development reignited public and legal interest in the case.

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3) Suspicions of foul play in the missing case

Suspicion clung to Mary's stepfather, William Houle, who had a history of being abusive. As per the CBS News report, her sisters claimed that he had a volatile temper and that this might have been one of the factors that led to Mary's disappearance. The woman who returned in 2003 claiming to be Mary Day also confirmed that she had run away from home in 1981 to escape abuse from her stepfather, William Houle.

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4) Reopening the case and investigating the backyard burial theory

The Curious Case of... is available on Max (Image via Unsplash/@Allef Vinicius)

The police reopened the case, with Detective Joe Bertaina leading the investigation. In 2003, Detective Bertaina took Mary's sister, Kathy Pires, back to their former home in Seaside.

Detectives looked into the theory that Mary might have been killed and buried in the backyard. Kathy showed them a spot where their parents had told them never to play. Cadaver dogs reacted to that area, and a little girl's shoe was uncovered during the digging. However, no human remains were found, as per CBS News.

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5) The role of DNA evidence

The DNA reports were the crucial evidence in the case (Image via Unsplash @National Cancer Institute)

DNA testing became crucial in verifying the identity of the woman who claimed to be Mary. Testing proved that she was biologically related to Mary's mother, Charlotte. This revelation confirmed her identity, but questions remained about what had truly happened to her during the years she was missing.

Following Mary's return, her sister, Sherrie Calgaro, who had reported Mary missing in 1994, thirteen years after her disappearance, invited her to live with her in North Carolina. Sherrie noticed Mary's unusual behavior and found it hard to reconnect this woman with the sister she once knew. Mary eventually moved to Missouri, where she lived until she died at the age of 59 in June 2017, as per CBS News.

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The Curious Case of... The Girl Who Died Twice will be released on 20 January 2025 on Investigation Discovery and Max.