MA MA - Holly Piirainen, 10, Sturbridge, 5 Aug 1993

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RichKelly said:
Holly's murder seems to be more of an opportunity grab, if everything I read on the case is accurate, where as Molly's abduction and murder seem to bear the earmarks of true predatory abduction, by an individual highly likely to commit further crimes.
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Agreed. Holly's abductor appeared to be just passing by, whereas Molly's killer was likely at the beach the day before her murder performing some sort of pre-offense reconnaissance. Those are two very different approaches and the former suggests a younger, more impulsive offender whereas the latter points to someone more mature and disciplined.
 
Pettibon Junction said:
Agreed. Holly's abductor appeared to be just passing by, whereas Molly's killer was likely at the beach the day before her murder performing some sort of pre-offense reconnaissance. Those are two very different approaches and the former suggests a younger, more impulsive offender whereas the latter points to someone more mature and disciplined.
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If I recall there was one suspect (David Pouliot) possibly linked to Holly's case posthumously. Evidence linked him, or as LE states "those associated with him" to the area though they do not state whether it was the abduction site, or the recovery site.

Some sources say both

He was reportedly familiar with both, and as we know most of the time the abductor is in the area of the abduction for legitimate reasons (Works/Lives), and is usually very familiar with the dump site

If he was indeed involved, he represents a bit of an anomaly amongst offenders in this category

-He would've been 59 at the time of Hollys abduction, (66 if he was involved in Molly Bish's abduction and murder).(only 10% fit this age group of 40+, most are between 18-30)

-He had a very limited criminal record (drug possession, where almost half exhibit some type of violent offense in their background)
 
http://m.telegram.com/news/20160804...clues-on-anniversary-of-slain-girls-abduction
[h=1]Holly Piirainen's family pleads for clues on anniversary of slain girl's abduction[/h]
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Holly Piirainen




By Kim Ring
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Aug 4, 2016 at 9:46 STURBRIDGE - As they have for 23 years, the family of Holly Piirainen will hang posters around the area offering a $40,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the conviction of the person who abducted and killed Friday marks the anniversary of Holly's abduction from her grandmother's summer home after she and her brother went to look at some puppies a short distance away and she did not return. One of her shoes was found at the roadside and her remains were discovered by a hunter in late October that year





 
Oct 27 2017
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/10/27/holly-piirainen-murder-mystery-1993-cold-case/
A $40,000 reward is being offered to anyone who has information that could lead to an arrest.

Cold case consultant Dr. Sarah Stein said, “We’ve had some recent developments with Holly’s investigation that we believe may lead to closure. Anything we receive today will be given to the Hampden County District Attorney and the State Police.”

She added, “In 95 percent of cold cases, the perpetrator is actually identified in the first 30 days of the investigation.”

Carla Jackman is Holly’s aunt. She told WBZ-TV, “[Holly] was just very, very sweet. Just a typical great little girl that we miss terribly.”

Last month, Gary Schara was charged with the kidnapping, aggravated rape, and murder of Lisa Ziegert, who was found dead in Agawam 25 years ago.

Schara’s DNA will now be tested against Holly’s case
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rbbm
 
I thought I would provide a brief background summary of Holly Piirainen's case. There is a great write up of the case on reddit too.

On Thursday August 5, 1993, 10 year old Holly Piirainen walked down South Shore Drive in Sturbridge to the intersection of Allen Road to see some new puppies the neighbors had. Holly's brother Zack went with her, but before they got to the house where the puppies were, a loud noise frightened him and he went back home. I read it could have been a loud boom or another dog startled him.

Holly's father either went out himself to look for her or sent the two brothers she had back out to look for her. All that was found was one of Holly's shoes by the side of the road. On October 23, 1993, her remains were found in some woods off Five Bridges Road in Brimfield, MA. Police believe she was killed shortly after she was abducted and that strangulation was the manner of death.

My thoughts
There is not much to discuss about this case. The map of the area was interesting. South Shore Drive where Holly's grandparents cottage is located is a dead end road. It is believed Holly was abducted at the intersection of South Shore Drive and Allen Road. So I put that location along with the road where Holly's body was found into a map search and it turns out the quickest way to get between both places is by taking Allen Road. In fact you would have to make 5 separate turns in order to end up on Five Bridges Road in Brimfield, MA. I wonder what a geographic profiler would say about this case. Here is what I think.

I would be surprised if this person is not someone who lives or works either on South Shore Drive or Allen Road. The best question to ask of all the neighbors in the area would be how they go to work each day. I think this person is very familiar with Five Bridges Road and probably goes past it all the time.

Then again, I looked up gas stations in the area where the killer would have traveled and it seems like the closest gas stations are along the route to Five Bridges Road. You would pass Citgo, Cumberland Farms, and Gulf before getting to Five Bridges Road. I figure we all need gas for our cars and that many times gas stations are places were people go if they travel a certain route all the time.

So like so many cases all the suspects Stanger, Armes, and others that have come up over the years remain possible. Is this case connected to Molly Bish's? There really is nothing to suggest that it is or is not connected so I don't know. Hopefully someday this mystery will be solved.
 
In the Dark Minds episode, Blonde Blue Eyed and Gone, Holly Piirainen's father said that when the crime happened the first thing he looked for was tire tracks. That was good thinking. So maybe either South Shore Drive or Allen Road was dirt back in 1993.

I thought it was important because the crime happened August 5, 1993. There are not any schools in the area and I do not think school would even have been in session yet. The closest gas station looks to be a Cumberland Farms in Brookfield, MA.
I wonder when the mail gets delivered to that Allen Road area? Maybe it was someone who lived right near there and kidnapped her when they went out to get the mail from the mailbox? But then why would they leave her shoe right there pointing to their residence? Obviously police would check that out. It looks like someone grabbed her from a vehicle considering the missing shoe.

After 24 years it is hard to come to conclusions. People move, properties get foreclosed on, fires burn houses down, etc. Maybe the murderer was just visiting the lake area? I do not know how you solve a case like this.
 
I remember this, it was all over the news and she was one year older than my daughter. Again not an area you would think it would happen. I can only hope that someday some clue comes forward or someone says something or something is found pointing to who did this. Just a terrible thing for a family to wonder all these years.
 
New England's Unsolved: Holly Piirainen 25 Years Later

Capture.JPG

Recently, I returned to the corner of Sturbridge's South Shore Drive and Allen Road. It is the place where it's believed Holly was taken.

It is, as it's always been, a peaceful place of tall trees, a wide dirt road, and rustic homes.

But it's also a place scarred by unimaginable brutality.

Twenty five years ago, when I worked for another New England television station, I stood in the same place. It wasn't so quiet then; police and teams of news crews invaded the spot where Holly was last seen, apparently on her way to see a litter of collie pups at the farmhouse on the corner.

The crime didn't make any sense then, and it doesn't make any sense now.
 
This is another tough case to solve. About the closest thing to a mapping profile that I can come up with would be to shade in the area between Rice Corner Road and West Sturbridge/New Boston Road bordered at the top by Lake Road and bordered at the bottom by U.S. 20. In that specific shaded area there only looks to be one gas station, Citgo/Sam's Foods.

The problem with any type of profiling is that it is inexact. The killer could be from Florida or Maine or in a town further west or east in Massachusetts and was simply traveling through the area. Since Holly Piirainen disappeared on August 5th and was not found until October 23rd, she would have been a missing person first. So I guess I would have gone to the Citgo/Sam's Foods place first to put up a missing persons/abduction poster. That is my guess even though there are other gas stations nearby.
 
Interesting thoughts I agree with you about someone just travelling through. It could also be someone travelling up a bit from say Virginia. Perhaps one day we will know but I have never heard of DNA in this case but then I am not part of any official investigation.

somequestions said:
This is another tough case to solve. About the closest thing to a mapping profile that I can come up with would be to shade in the area between Rice Corner Road and West Sturbridge/New Boston Road bordered at the top by Lake Road and bordered at the bottom by U.S. 20. In that specific shaded area there only looks to be one gas station, Citgo/Sam's Foods.

The problem with any type of profiling is that it is inexact. The killer could be from Florida or Maine or in a town further west or east in Massachusetts and was simply traveling through the area. Since Holly Piirainen disappeared on August 5th and was not found until October 23rd, she would have been a missing person first. So I guess I would have gone to the Citgo/Sam's Foods place first to put up a missing persons/abduction poster. That is my guess even though there are other gas stations nearby.
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When I have been researching true crime cases I have been struck by how many young females are interested in true crime. I believe Paul Holes said the same at a Crime Convention after he identified the Golden State Killer. I will give this case a bump with a recent You Tube video about Holly's case but also about Molly Bish's case and of course Molly wrote a letter about Holly:

 
Holly was most likely a victim of opportunity

Offender lived (or lives) or worked or traveled regularly through the area.

The sole factor in her being selected was that she was alone, offender usually has a criminal history involving sex crimes, usually toward children .

Blue collar work, unskilled, or semi skilled labor types usually, that are unemployed, or out of work , at the time of the abduction

Several sussequent changes in residence in their past, usually 1 within the year prior to the event

Motive is overwhelmingly sexual in these cases.

Without delving deep into it look into any cases, of attempted abduction (and or luring) in the area prior to her dissappearance.

Direct physical assault (grab) however, is the most common means of aquiring a victim.

Reports of anyone seen in the area where she was recovered should be re-examined as an overwhelming number of offenders return to the body recovery site prior to the discovery of the victim.

Following the disovery of her body, the offender will often suddenly and with little explaniation leave the area .

And as weve learned scrutinize, any individual on the suspect list that pops up again for "lesser" crimes short of homicide, such as any type involvment in child pornograpy etc..

Abduction murders of children with a motivating sexual factor also have the highest propensity of all criminals to become repeat (in ome cases serial) offenders.

However, the MO (a crime scene dynamic) in these cases, tend to remain static throughout the offenders criminal history .
 
Interesting but I feel the Connecticut River Valley Killer who was a Serial Killer should also be looked at and a possible connection to other child murders including that of Molly Bish. Just another avenue. Thanks.
 
Family seeks answers on 26th anniversary of Holly Piirainen's disappearance
Aug 5 2019
SPRINGFIELD - As it has done for the past several years, the Hampden County district attorney’s office marked the anniversary of the disappearance of 10-year-old Holly Piirainen of Grafton by asking anyone with information on the case to come forward.

In a message on the DA’s website, an appeal was made on behalf of Holly’s family for anyone who can shed light on her disappearance 26 years ago, at 12:50 p.m. Aug. 3, 1993, or the subsequent murder, to come forward.

Holly was last seen by her father, Richard Piirainen, heading toward the area of Allen and Shore roads in Sturbridge. She and her family were vacationing at a cottage in Sturbridge and she was headed to a nearby residence to play with puppies. Her sneaker was found on Shore Road. On Oct. 23, 1993, hunters found her remains in woods off Five Bridges Road in Brimfield.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office at 413-505-5993, or to text a tip to CRIMES (274637), beginning with the word SOLVE in the body of the message."
 
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