Holly Piirainen

Holly Kristen Piirainen was a 10-year-old American murder victim from Grafton, Massachusetts. She and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, Massachusetts when Holly was murdered. 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. Since Holly's death, the Holly Piirainen Scholarship Fund was established in her memory by her family. 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. 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. 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. 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. — Molly Bish at age 10