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Murder of Holly Piirainen

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Holly Piirainen
Holly Piirainen
Born
Holly Kristen Piirainen

(1983-01-19)January 19, 1983
Grafton, Massachusetts
DiedAugust 5, 1993(1993-08-05) (aged 10)
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Cause of deathUnknown, presumed homicide

Holly Kristen Piirainen (January 19, 1983 – August 5, 1993) was a 10-year-old American murder victim from Grafton, Massachusetts. She and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

Since Holly's death, the Holly Piirainen Scholarship Fund was established in her memory by her family.[citation needed]

Later investigative leads

On January 3, 2012, Hampden 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.[2] 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. Pouliot frequently hunted and fished around the area where Holly's body was found.[3]

Connection to Molly Bish case

Fellow Massachusetts resident Molly Bish was murdered seven years later. Her body was also found in a wooded area in Worcester County. Police considered the possibility that the two cases could be related. Pouliot is considered a person of interest in both cases. In an unusual twist, it was discovered that Molly wrote Holly Piirainen's family a letter following Holly's disappearance.[3] An excerpt from Molly Bish's letter:

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.[3]

— Molly Bish at age 10

References

  1. ^ a b c "Holly Piirainen: New details emerge in 19-year-old murder case". Fox 25 Boston. Nov 19, 2012.
  2. ^ "Cold Case Murder of Holly Piirainen, 7, Linked to Dead Man". ABC News. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  3. ^ a b c Smith, Dave (January 3, 2012). "Holly Piirainen Case: David Pouliot Linked to Death of Missing Girl in 1993". International Business Times.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Holly_Piirainen&oldid=744992750"