Molly Bish
Encyclopedia
Molly Anne Bish was a sixteen-year-old girl from Warren, Massachusetts
who was abducted and then murdered while working as a lifeguard in rural Massachusetts
. Her body was found three years later after the largest search in the history of Massachusetts.
In the summer of 2000, Bish worked as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren. The day before her abduction, her mother Magi Bish claimed that she saw a man in a white sedan in the parking lot of the beach where her daughter's lifeguard post was positioned. Although the man looked suspicious to Magi, she had forgotten about him until after Molly's disappearance. The last witness to see Molly before she was kidnapped was her mother. She was wearing a blue bathing suit.
An extensive search took place to find Molly Bish. It was the largest and most expensive search for a missing person ever held in Massachusetts. Her case was profiled on the American television shows Disappeared, America's Most Wanted
, Unsolved Mysteries
, and 48 Hours
. On June 9, 2003, Bish's remains were found five miles from her family home. A hunter had seen a blue bathing suit in the woods on Whiskey Hill in Palmer, Massachusetts
in the late fall of 2002. He mentioned this to Tim McGuigan in May 2003, who then made the possible connection to Molly Bish and contacted police. An intense search of the area soon located Molly's remains.
Molly's parents, Magi and John Bish, have started The Molly Bish Foundation
in Molly's memory with the goal to spread the word about child safety.
resident was under investigation.
In February 2009 a new suspect emerged in the Molly Bish murder. The suspect is Rodney Stanger, a Southbridge native who lived at 232 Everett Street in Southbridge until the home was sold on June 18, 2001, and had lived in Southbridge for more than two decades. In October 2010, Stanger was sentenced to 25 years in Florida for the stabbing murder of Crystal Morrison, his live-in girlfriend of 20 years. The sister of that victim alerted the Massachusetts authorities about Stanger, following her sister's murder. Stanger was known to have access to a white car similar to that seen on the day of Bish's disappearance, was known to fish in Comins Pond, was known to hunt in the woods where Bish's body was found, and closely matches the composite provided by Bish's mother of the man seen in the white car the day before the murder. Stanger is also being questioned in connection with the 1993 murder of Holly Piirainen
.
Warren, Massachusetts
Warren is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,135 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Warren, please see the article Warren , Massachusetts.- History :...
who was abducted and then murdered while working as a lifeguard in rural Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Her body was found three years later after the largest search in the history of Massachusetts.
In the summer of 2000, Bish worked as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren. The day before her abduction, her mother Magi Bish claimed that she saw a man in a white sedan in the parking lot of the beach where her daughter's lifeguard post was positioned. Although the man looked suspicious to Magi, she had forgotten about him until after Molly's disappearance. The last witness to see Molly before she was kidnapped was her mother. She was wearing a blue bathing suit.
An extensive search took place to find Molly Bish. It was the largest and most expensive search for a missing person ever held in Massachusetts. Her case was profiled on the American television shows Disappeared, America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
, Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
, and 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
. On June 9, 2003, Bish's remains were found five miles from her family home. A hunter had seen a blue bathing suit in the woods on Whiskey Hill in Palmer, Massachusetts
Palmer, Massachusetts
The Town of Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,140 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in the late fall of 2002. He mentioned this to Tim McGuigan in May 2003, who then made the possible connection to Molly Bish and contacted police. An intense search of the area soon located Molly's remains.
Molly's parents, Magi and John Bish, have started The Molly Bish Foundation
Molly Bish Foundation
The Molly Bish Foundation is an organization that was found by John and Magi Bish, the parents of murder victim Molly Bish.The organization is devoted to helping with child safety through child ID kits that help in locating a missing child. The kits include a current head and shoulder photo of the...
in Molly's memory with the goal to spread the word about child safety.
Suspects and developments
To date, there have been no arrests in the case, though in 2005 a ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
resident was under investigation.
In February 2009 a new suspect emerged in the Molly Bish murder. The suspect is Rodney Stanger, a Southbridge native who lived at 232 Everett Street in Southbridge until the home was sold on June 18, 2001, and had lived in Southbridge for more than two decades. In October 2010, Stanger was sentenced to 25 years in Florida for the stabbing murder of Crystal Morrison, his live-in girlfriend of 20 years. The sister of that victim alerted the Massachusetts authorities about Stanger, following her sister's murder. Stanger was known to have access to a white car similar to that seen on the day of Bish's disappearance, was known to fish in Comins Pond, was known to hunt in the woods where Bish's body was found, and closely matches the composite provided by Bish's mother of the man seen in the white car the day before the murder. Stanger is also being questioned in connection with the 1993 murder of Holly Piirainen
Holly Piirainen
Holly Kristen Piirainen was a ten-year-old American murder victim from Grafton, Massachusetts. She and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, Massachusetts....
.
External links
- Molly Anne Bish: Missed But Never Forgotten
- Molly Bish at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...