| Holly Piirainen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Holly Kristen Piirainen January 19, 1983 Grafton, Massachusetts |
| Died | August 5, 1993 (aged 10) Sturbridge, Massachusetts |
| Cause of death | Unknown |
Holly Kristen Piirainen (January 19, 1983 – August 5, 1993) was a ten-year-old American murder victim from Grafton, Massachusetts. She and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
Holly and her brother had gone to a neighbor's house to see puppies. Her brother had returned to the cottage where the grandparents lived, but Holly did not. One of Holly's shoes was found by the side of a road.
Searching for Holly took two months. On October 23, 1993, Holly's remains were found by hunters in Brimfield, Massachusetts. The killer still has not been found.
In the town of Warren, not far from Grafton, Molly Bish was the same age as Holly when she heard about Holly's disappearance. Molly wrote a letter to Holly's family, telling them she was hoping for Holly's safe return home. Molly was kidnapped and murdered herself seven years after Holly was killed. Police began suspecting if Holly's killer was the same person who killed Molly years later.
Since Holly's death, the Holly Piirainen Scholarship Fund was placed in her memory by her family.
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On January 3, 2012, Hampden County (Mass.) County Attorney Mark Mastroianni announced that forensic evidence found near Holly's body had been linked to David Pouliot, a suspect who died in 2003.[1] Investigators have not disclosed the nature of the forensic evidence, nor the type of testing that linked Pouliot to the evidence. Investigators said that, although Pouliot is a person of interest in the crime, as of January 2012 he has not yet formally been named a suspect.
Here is a quote from Molly Bish's letter she had written to Holly's family when she was ten years of age:
I am very sorry. I wish I could make it up to you. Holly is a very pretty girl. She is almost as tall as me. I wish I knew Holly. I hope they found her.
— Molly Bish at age 10