Woman disappears from home — and two years later she is found in the wall

61-year-old Mary Stewart Serruti disappeared from her home in Houston Heights, Texas, in the summer of 2015. Two years later, new residents discovered her skeleton in a narrow space between the walls. Investigators believe she fell through a broken floorboard in the attic and became trapped. The official cause of death has not been determined.

61-year-old Mary Stewart Serruti disappeared from her home in the Houston Heights area of Texas in the summer of 2015. Neighbors noticed accumulated mail and a broken window, but inside they found only several dead cats. The woman was declared missing, and the house passed to new owners. In March 2017, the new residents discovered human bones in a narrow space between the walls. Most of the skeleton, including the skull, was extracted from the wall, along with decomposed clothing, athletic shoes, and glasses. The glasses resembled those Serruti wore in video recordings of city council meetings where she opposed new construction projects. In January 2018, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences confirmed that the remains belonged to Serruti. Identification was made based on anatomical features and data from a previously restored tooth. According to investigators, Mary went up to the attic, stepped on a broken floorboard, and fell into the narrow space between the walls, where she became trapped and died. The official cause of death has not been determined. Neighbor Roxanne Davis expressed doubt that a person could fall through such a narrow opening, although Mary herself was short and slender.

Woman disappears from home — and two years later she is found in the wall