Mary Lou Arruda, 15, disappeared while riding her bicycle near her home in Raynham. Her bicycle was found at approximately 4:30 P.M. that same day by the side of a road. On Nov. 11, 1978, Arruda's decomposed; fully clothed body was found tied to a tree in Freetown State Forest. The cause of her death was strangulation by ligature or positional asphyxia. A pathologist testified that Arruda had been alive and in a standing position when she was tied to the tree, but that once she became unconscious, the weight of her head against the ligature around her neck caused her to suffocate.
