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Mary Day was a 13-year-old girl who disappeared from her family's home in Seaside, California, in 1981. According to a CBS News report, her parents never reported her missing, and for over two decades, her whereabouts remained unknown. In 2003, a woman claiming to be Mary surfaced in Phoenix, Arizona, leading to questions about her true identity.
DNA testing confirmed she was the biological daughter of Charlotte Day, mother of Mary Louise Day. Despite the DNA confirmation, doubts persisted among family members and investigators regarding her true identity. The woman lived in Missouri until she died in 2017.
The Investigation Discovery series The Curious Case of... delves into perplexing real-life mysteries. The series premiered its very first season on Jan 13, 2025, and has released only one episode to date. Mary Day's story is featured in Season 1, episode 2, titled The Girl Who Died Twice, which is all set to air on January 20, 2025.
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Who is Mary Day and what happened to her?
Mary Louise Day was a 13-year-old girl living in Seaside, California, with her mother, Charlotte Day, and stepfather, William Houle. On or around July 15, 1981, Mary disappeared from their home. Notably, her parents did not report her missing to the authorities.
As CBS News reported, when questioned years later, Charlotte Day mentioned that Mary had a history of running away, suggesting they believed she had done so again. This belief was reportedly the reason they did not file a missing person report. However, details about the frequency of Mary's previous runaway incidents or specific reasons for them are scarce.
The case remained dormant until 1994, when Mary's sister, Sherrie Calgaro, reported her missing to the Fort Ord military base police. This action initiated a renewed investigation into Mary's disappearance. In 2003, a woman in Phoenix, Arizona, claimed to be Mary Day.
DNA testing confirmed her identity as Charlotte Day's biological daughter. Despite this, some family members and investigators continued to harbor doubts about her true identity. The woman lived in Missouri until she died in 2017.
Further developments in Mary Day's case
According to a CBS News report, as Fort Ord was being decommissioned in 2002, Seaside Police revisited cold cases, including Mary Day's 1981 disappearance. Detective Joe Bertaina led the investigation and, in 2003, took Mary's sister, Kathy Pires, back to their former home in Seaside.
Kathy pointed out a corner of the backyard where their parents had forbidden them to play. Cadaver dogs alerted to that specific area, and during excavation, a little girl's shoe was found. Despite these findings, no human remains were discovered.
The investigation intensified, with Mary's parents, Charlotte and William Houle, becoming primary suspects. However, in November 2003, a woman in Arizona identified herself as Mary Day, claiming she had run away in 1981 to escape abuse. DNA tests confirmed her as Charlotte's biological daughter, leading to the closure of the missing person case. Despite the DNA confirmation, some family members and investigators remained skeptical due to inconsistencies in her story and behavior.
Mary's sister, Sherrie Calgaro, who had reported her missing in 1994, invited Mary to live with her in North Carolina. Sherrie observed Mary's erratic behavior and struggled to reconcile this woman with the sister she remembered. Mary later moved to Missouri, where she lived and died at the age of 59.
The Curious Case of... is available to watch on Investigation Discovery and Max.
