For nearly a week, a young woman with a developmental disability lay dead inside a mattress, her killers sleeping above her as her body decomposed, according to court documents and family interviews. The case of Mary Santina Collins, 20, has become a chilling example of police inaction, cruelty, and the urgent need for reform in missing persons investigations involving vulnerable individuals.
Mary Collins was born on July 6, 1999, with 22q11 deletion syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting every system of the body. She suffered from an internal cleft palate, severe speech impediment, poor eyesight, and learning difficulties. Despite these challenges, she was described by her aunt Cara Williams as a sweet, energetic, and kind young woman who saw the best in everyone.
On March 28, 2020, 24-year-old Kelly Lavery and her boyfriend 21-year-old Lavi Fan invited Mary to their apartment at The Yards in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. The invitation came after months of online bullying by Kelly, who had called Mary disgusting and encouraged her to take her own life. Mary’s grandmother, Mia Alderman, had a bad feeling but could not stop the Uber driver from taking her granddaughter.
The couple bought sushi, Mary’s favorite food, and posted videos on social media to make it appear she was fine. Later, they were joined by 21-year-old Jimmy Salerno. According to the Queen City Nerve, the situation turned violent when Mary declined to participate in a threesome.
The trio allegedly drugged her with Xanax, then brutally attacked her.
Mary was tied up, a dog leash placed around her neck, and beaten in the bathtub. Her autopsy report revealed she was stabbed more than 133 times, with many wounds too shallow to hit a major organ or artery. Investigators concluded she suffered in fear and agony for an extended period before succumbing to multiple sharp trauma injuries.
After the murder, the killers called 18-year-old America Deal, whom Jimmy had met on Tinder, to help clean up. They covered Mary’s body with Cascade dish detergent and pumpkin spice shower gel to mask the smell of decomposition. Then they wrapped her in duct tape, Saran Wrap, placed her in a trash bag, and hid the bag inside the couple’s mattress.
For days, Kelly Lavery and Lavi Fan slept on the mattress containing Mary’s body. They planned to burn the mattress to dispose of evidence. Lavi allegedly tried to pay someone to help get rid of it.
The killers’ brazen confidence led them to continue living in the apartment, even as Mary’s family frantically searched for her.
Mary’s grandmother, Mia Alderman, tracked her granddaughter’s cell phone to the apartment complex through their shared family plan. When Mary didn’t respond to calls or texts, Mia went to The Yards on March 29. She found a mailbox with Kelly’s name and apartment number, then buzzed herself in after another resident let her inside.
She knocked on the door screaming Mary’s name.
Kelly Lavery and Lavi Fan answered and told Mia that Mary had already left. But Mia knew this was impossible. Mary’s disability made it highly unlikely she would leave on her own.
Her phone had not been active since arriving at the apartment, and she had broken her glasses before the weekend. Without them, she could not navigate.
Mia filed a missing person report with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department at 11 p. m. on March 30.
She explained that Mary was in extreme danger, but the assigned detective, Joshua Gaskin, showed little urgency. According to Mia, an officer knocked on the apartment door, got no response, and left. The family was told to stop harassing the couple.
Detective Gaskin told the family they would need a warrant to view surveillance footage from the apartment complex. However, Mia later learned that was inaccurate. On April 3, the complex’s corporate office gave her permission to view the footage without a warrant.
By then, the March 28 footage had been erased because a new month had started.
Meanwhile, Mia kept a rotation of family members and friends watching the apartment complex. At one point, Lavi allowed Mia and Mary’s mother, Casey Del Pezzo, into the apartment to look for Mary. They were not allowed in the back bedroom, and Casey was quickly guided through by an agitated Lavi.
Detective Gaskin became exasperated, blurting out, “Do you understand that she’s not in there?”
On April 2, a witness reported that Jimmy Salerno was bragging about the crime and claimed to have photos of Mary’s body on his phone. Police met with Lavi at the apartment and were allowed to search. Lavi himself walked detectives to the master bedroom and lifted the mattress.
They saw no body and left. But the witness insisted Mary was in the mattress.
On April 4, police returned with a search warrant. When they opened the mattress, they found Mary’s body wrapped in a black trash bag, extremely well concealed. Her bank card and $90 were hidden under a stack of papers in the bedroom.
Blood was found throughout the master bedroom and bath. Saran wrap, duct tape, and contractor-grade trash bags were also recovered.
That same day, Lavi posted a picture on Twitter of a cartoon duck holding a knife with the word “yes.” The account was soon banned. On April 5, Kelly Lavery, Lavi Fan, and Jimmy Salerno were arrested and charged with homicide, kidnapping, and concealment of a death.
Kelly was so intoxicated that police had to shake her to wake her. Jimmy had prior arrests for armed robbery and 𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 possession.
America Deal turned herself in to authorities in Colorado after learning of an arrest warrant. She was charged with felony accessory after the fact and concealment of a death. She bonded out on September 18, 2021, and is now living with family in Clover, North Carolina.
As of this report, only Kelly Lavery has been convicted.
Kelly Lavery took a plea deal. She pleaded guilty to second-degree homicide and was sentenced to 25 to 32 years in prison. She is currently held at Anson Correctional Institution with a projected release date of June 22, 2047.
She will be 52 years old. The DA’s office stated that plea arrangements provide victims’ families finality and ensure defendants take responsibility.
Mary’s family, however, was devastated by the plea. Her grandmother Mia Alderman said, “Nobody is going to tell me that the value of Mary’s life is 25 years. Mary matters more than that.”
Due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the family could not give Mary the funeral they wanted. Her body was too decomposed for an open casket. They held a small private graveside service on July 5, 2020, the eve of her 21st birthday.
Mary was buried with a rose from her grandmother’s favorite bush, a tin of holy water from her great-grandmother’s funeral, a rosary, an item blessed by Mother Teresa, and a relic. Her family has since launched an organization called Mary’s Voice, seeking policy changes in missing persons investigations, especially for differently abled individuals.
“Mary was never truly missing,” the family emphasized. “She was believed to be held against her will for some unknown time.” They want protocols that allow those closest to the victim to have more say in determining whether the case is an immediate danger.
In 2007, North Carolina implemented the Silver Alert system for people with cognitive impairments, but it was never activated for Mary.
To qualify for a Silver Alert, the person must be missing, have dementia, Alzheimer’s, or a disability requiring protection from 𝓪𝓫𝓾𝓼𝓮 or neglect, a legal custodian must report it, and the local law enforcement must report to the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons. Detective Gaskin did not request a Silver Alert. The CMPD did not issue a missing person bulletin for Mary until April 3, one day before her body was found.
Mia Alderman stated, “When you go to the police, you just hear them say, ‘Our officers followed policy and procedure.’ Okay, so your policy and procedure is severely flawed and you need to change it.” The killers’ brazenness allowed police to obtain a search warrant, but if they had kept quiet, Mary’s body might never have been found.
The case raises a haunting question: What if the false tip that Mary “runs off with guys” had been accepted without question? The family is now pushing for legislative changes, including mandatory training for officers on disabilities, immediate activation of Silver Alerts for vulnerable adults, and independent oversight of missing persons investigations. Mary’s story is a stark reminder that justice delayed is justice denied, and that the system failed a young woman who trusted the wrong people.
