Skeleton Found in Wall is Previous Homeowner, Mary Cerruti, Missing Since 2015

January 25, 2018
By: Mike McPadden

Mary Cerruti

Mary Cerruti

HOUSTON, TX — In May 2015, homeowner Mary Cerruti, 61, seemed to simply vanish into thin air. Sadly, now, authorities have revealed that Cerruti actually vanished into the walls of her own house — after a skeleton discovered by new tenants has been positively identified as the missing woman.

While it’s not yet clear how Cerruti died, the bones found in a small space nine feet beneath the attic indicate that Cerruti likely fell through a floorboard and got trapped in a two-foot-wide space behind a bathroom wall.

Searchers also found part of a broken floorboard alongside Cerruti’s remains, along with a pair of eyeglasses she was known to wear. Foul play is not suspected.

When Cerruti disappeared in 2015, her lawn grew wild, her bills went unpaid, and, unfortunately, her six beloved cats died (police found remains of the pets, as well).

Although she was known as somewhat eccentric, Cerruti was well liked. Concerned relatives, friends, and neighbors remained on the hunt for answers. Police searched the house several times, but did not turn up any clues — let alone the tragic answer inside the walls.

After a foreclosure auction on the property, a new resident checked out the attic and looked down through a hole in the floor. He saw what was left of Cerruti. Forensic experts later identified Cerruti through the recovered bones and dental records.

Even though her loved ones are mourning, one friend said Mary Cerruti loved mysteries so much that, “I think she would have thought that was kind of cool that she created the mystery.”

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