Missing Texas Woman Found Dead Inside the Walls of Her Own Home After Two Years
For two years, Mary Stewart Cerruti was missing after vanishing from her Texas home. Her remains were discovered in 2017 trapped inside the walls, leaving a chilling mystery.
For two years, no one knew where Mary Stewart Cerruti had vanished. The 61-year-old lived alone in the Houston Heights neighborhood of Texas and was considered a somewhat eccentric but familiar figure in the area. In the summer of 2015, neighbors noticed that mail was piling up outside her home, that her window was broken, and that the woman who used to wander around the neighborhood was simply no longer seen.
Discovery of the Remains
When authorities entered the house, they found several dead cats inside. Mary herself was not there, at least not where anyone thought to look. She was reported missing, and the house subsequently entered foreclosure. In March 2017, after the property passed into new hands, the chilling truth was uncovered.
New occupants discovered human bones inside the narrow space between the walls. Police and investigators arrived at the scene, subsequently recovering most of the skeletal parts, including the skull. Alongside the remains, authorities found decomposing clothing, sneakers, and a pair of glasses resembling those Mary was known to wear in city council videos where she opposed local real estate projects.
Investigation and Mystery
In January 2018, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed that the remains belonged to Mary. The identification was based on anatomical details and a restored missing tooth that matched the skull. Thus, it turned out that the woman considered missing had never left her home at all.
The prevailing theory among authorities is that Mary climbed into the attic, stepped on a broken floorboard, and fell through the opening into the cavity between the walls. There, in a place where no one could see or hear her, she became trapped and died. The official cause of death remains unknown.
This explanation did not convince everyone. Roxane Davis, Mary's neighbor, expressed skepticism that a person could fall entirely through such a narrow opening, even though Mary was a small woman. Thus, her story remains suspended between a horrific accident and an unresolved mystery.
