#missingyouth

August 21, 2024

Holly Kristen Piirainen was born on January 19, 1983, in Grafton, Massachusetts. On August 5, 1993, 10 year old Holly and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, MA.

Before Holly disappeared, her family had been staying at a family-owned lakefront cottage in the area. Holly and her brother had gone to a neighbour's house to see puppies, with her brother returning their grandparents cottage without Holly.

Holly's father had last seen her at 11:45 am prior to her and her brother leaving to go see the puppies. He reported Holly missing when she did not return. While waiting for the police, Holly's family searched for her and were aided by local and state police, sheriffs and units from both Connecticut and Rhode Island. One of Holly's shoes had been found by the side of a road.

On October 23, 1993, over two months since Holly disappeared, her remains were found by hunters in Brimfield, MA. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigators believed that Holly's abduction was random, as few people would have known the family was in that area, and not many would know that Holly and her brother were going to look at puppies that day.

Molly Bish, as discussed previously, disappeared on June 27, 2000 while working as a lifeguard on Comins Pond in Warren, MA. Her body was also found in a wooded area in Hampden County on June 9, 2003. Police have considered the two cases could be connected.

Molly had actually written a letter to Holly's family following Holly's disappearance.

A man named David Pouliot is considered a person of interest in both Holly and Molly's cases. On January 3, 2012, it was announced that forensic evidence found near Holly's body had been linked to David, who had died in 2003. It was not disclosed the nature of the forensic evidence, nor the type of testing conducted.

Though David was a person of interest, he was not named as an official suspect. David had hunted and fished around the area where Holly's body had been found quite frequently.

In October 2020, it was reported by a Boston news station, that they had sources that claimed the body of a 22 year old man was exhumed at a cemetery in Hampden County, which may be connected to the investigation and case of Holly.

The man exhumed was reportedly not David Pouliot. Holly's cousin, Leah Jolin said that investigators were searching for a letter placed in the subject's coffin that could advance the case. Jolin also said that the item that was retrieved had suffered water damage after being buried for over two decades.

Now retired police who worked on the case claimed that an unidentified man in a brown pickup truck was likely the murderer. Supposedly, this man was driving down a neighbouring street about 200 yards from where Holly was standing. The car slowed down to look at two teenage girl cousins who were checking their mailbox.

The girls told police later that they feared the man would jump out of the truck and grab one of them. When they went back to the mailbox a second time they saw the man again, he had turned around.

It was suspected that the man likely turned around at the end of South Shore Drive, where Holly was standing. After this second time seeing the man, one of the teen girls returned to their house and noticed the truck a third time. The truck was accelerating past and not looking for the teens girls.

It was discovered by a reporter named Richard Price that this man had a lengthy criminal record, though no crimes that involved children. Price claimed to have interviewed the man's ex-wife, who said he had a sex addiction and often behaved compulsively. The ex-wife did not believe however, that he would chase a 10 year old girl.

This information was also reportedly stated on a podcast. The podcast reporter claimed that a police report and interviewed sources show that the brown pick up truck man had pulled over hours after Holly's abduction by a police officer near the scene of the disappearance. The man's driver's license was suspended, but the police thought it was current and let him go.

Reportedly, a family member of Holly's said on the podcast that this subject had identified a detail about the t-shirt Holly was wearing that day, a detail that was different from what the public knew.

The Holly Piirainen Scholarship Fund was established by Holly's family in her memory. Holly is also included in a group memorial called the Garden of Peace in Boston, which memorializes Massachusetts victims of homicide.

In March 2021, Holly's family issues a statement urging any information about Holly's disappearance and death and the helpfulness of DNA testing after it has helped solve the murder of Virginia Hannon, a 59 year old woman murdered in Plymouth County in 1984.

DNA has lately been solving many cases that would've otherwise been deemed unsolvable now that we have the technology to do so. Many are encouraging others to upload their DNA to help solve cases. The more DNA in the database, the more chance forensic investigators have at comparing data and tracing family trees.

August 20, 2024

Molly Bish was born on August 2, 1983 in Warren, Massachusetts. At the time of her death, she was 16 years old and was working as a lifeguard at Comins Pond.

On June 26, 2000, Molly's mother Magi, noticed a mustached man in a white car parked in the lot of the beach where Molly's lifeguard post was. He seemed suspicious at the time, but Molly's mother did not think anything further until after her daughter had disappeared.

The next day, June 27, 2000, Magi drove her daughter Molly near the lifeguard station. Magi reported that she had not seen the strange man there that day, however, another witness reported that he saw a man matching that description in the pond's parking lot just minutes before Molly arrived.

A local worker reportedly saw a similar car parked at a cemetery connected to the pond by a path. Magi was the last known person to see Molly before she disappeared. A few hours later, police contacted Molly's parents to tell them that no lifeguard had been on duty that day and that Molly's belongings had been left unattended at her station.

An extensive search was done, and eventually it became the largest and most expensive search for a missing person ever done in Massachusetts. Molly's case was featured on many tv shows including America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, and 48 Hours.

A hunter had seen a blue bathing suit in the woods on Whiskey Hill in Palmer, in the late fall of 2002. In May 2003, this hunter mentioned it and the police were contacted. A search of the area found Molly's body on June 9, 2003, almost three years later.

Molly's body had been found 5 miles from her family home. No cause of death was determined, but investigators believe Molly was murdered and her remains were buried.

There have been a few suspects looked into in relation to Molly's murder. In 2005, a Connecticut man who had been charged with attempted kidnapping in New York was briefly looked into.

Later, in 2009, a man named Rodney Stanger, then residing in Florida, who had been convicted of murdering his girlfriend, had actually lived in Southbridge, MA, a few miles from the town of Warren for more than 20 years.

Rodney had moved to Florida after Molly's murder. Following Rodney's girlfriends murder, Crystal Morrison (the couple had been together for 20 years), Crystal's sister alerted authorities.

Rodney was known to have a similar white car to the one seen the day before Molly disappeared. He was known to also fish in Comins Pond and hunt in the woods where Molly's body had been found. Rodney also matched the description that Magi Bish had reported, however he has not been charged in the case.

While Rodney was being investigated into Molly's murder, he was also questioned about a 1993 murder of a girl named Holly Piirainen. Holly went missing from Sturbridge, and was Molly's age. Molly had actually written a letter of hope to Holly's parents in 1993. Rodney has not been charged in Holly's case either.

In 2012, forensic evidence led authorities to a man named David Pouliot to Holly's case. However, David had died in 2003.

In November 2011, a man named Gerald Battistoni was named a suspect in Molly's death. Gerald had worked as an informant for the Eastern Hampden County Narcotic Task Force. Gerald had spent time in prison for repeatedly raping a teenage girl in the early 90's. He attempted suicide in prison after newspaper articles identified him as a suspect in both Molly and Holly's cases.

Gerald had a criminal record dating back to 1980, had been in the area where Molly's body had been discovered, and resembles the composite sketch of the man Magi saw in the parking lot before her daughter disappeared.

DNA testing was asked to be completed. Gerald died in November 2014. There is no clear answers as to what came of the DNA, but it must not have matched or been completed.

A new person of interest was announced on June 3, 2021, a registered sex offender named Francis P. Sumner Sr. He was found dead inside his home in Spencer, MA, on May 4, 2016. He had a lengthy criminal record but it is unclear why he was connected to the case as a suspect.

On July 9, 1982, Francis was convicted of aggravated rape and kidnapping. He was sentenced to 15-18 years on the rape charge, to be served concurrently with 9-10 years on the kidnapping charges. The earliest he could have been released from prison would have been in 1997. It is unclear how long Francis was incarcerated.

No arrests have been made in Molly Bish's case, however Francis is considered a person of interest. Investigator's have not given up on the case, and encourage the use of familial DNA, hoping that forensic evidence may lead to some answers eventually. Molly's family advocates for child abduction awareness. There is an anonymous tip line that's open for information.

In 2004, Magi and John Bish founded The Molly Bish Center and Foundation in collaboration with Anna Maria College.

Holly Piirainen, the girl who was killed 7 years before Molly, was also found in a wooden area near Hampden County. Police have considered that the two cases could be related. Some of Molly's letter to Holly's family reads,

"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."

Both cases remain unsolved.

September 15, 2024

Troy Cook (Nova Scotia)

Troy Cook was born on July 16, 1978 and was 20 years old at the time of his disappearance. On June 11, 1998 around 10 am, Troy's father dropped Troy off near his apartment at 1 Victoria Street, Truro, Nova Scotia.

Around 10:30 am, a Superstore employee Sharon Tucker received a phone call from someone who claimed to be Troy. Sharon said she was certain it was Troy, but that he sounded different. The person on the phone let Sharon know he would not be in to work his evening shift that night.

Other sources state that Troy's father last saw him on June 12, 1998. It is believed that Troy made a phone call from a payphone near the Tim Horton's in Bible Hill, Truro. Troy has never been seen or heard from since.

There have also been no confirmed sightings of Troy. Troy had never mentioned leaving, and both his ID and wallet were found in his apartment. There have not been any transactions made from his bank account. Troy is not known to have had an mental illnesses or engaged in impulsive behaviour.

Troy is described as having brown eyes and black hair, standing at 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 120 lbs. The government of Nova Scotia is offering a reward of $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the disappearance of Troy Cook.

2. Shelly-Anne Bacsu (Alberta)

Shelly-Anne Bacsu was born on April 7, 1967 and was 16 years old when she went missing on May 3, 1983. On that day, Shelly-Anne had been at her boyfriend's house at Sunset Trailer Court in Hinton, Alberta after school.

Shelly-Anne called her mother at 8pm and told her she would be coming home soon. Her mother also stated that her daughter told her she would be home in 15 minutes, her friend was going to pick her up and bring her home, and asked if she could make her a pasta dish that she loved.

Around 9pm, when Shelly-Anne still hadn't arrived home, her boyfriend called her mother and asked if he could speak to Shelly-Anne. Her mother told her boyfriend that wasn't funny, but in that moment said she had a terrible feeling that something had happened.

The boyfriend told Shelly-Anne's mom that her friend ended up not being able to drive her home, so Shelly-Anne began to walk home. She was walking down Highway 16 towards her house off Highway 40.

Shelly-Anne's mother called the police, and her father and brother searched the area for her. Her mother decided to look for her by foot despite it being dark and windy out.

A witness had claimed to see Shelly-Anne walking down the highway earlier in the evening, stating she had been carrying her school books and showed no interest in hitch hiking. Muriel, Shelly-Anne's mother, stated the distance between her boyfriend's house and her house was 4 miles, but her daughter would not have tried to make that.

A few days later some of Shelly-Anne's belongings were found about 3 miles from her house. A jacket, bra, pantyhose, a student union card and a library book that had been checked out that day were found along Highway 40 near the Athabasca River.

Despite interviews, police have never arrested anyone.

The Bacsu family moved from Hinton in 1991, but continued to the search for Shelly. Muriel was frustrated and stated that after the 10 year anniversary of her daughter's disappearance, the police had not contacted her at all for 15 years.

In 2010, authorities looked at Shelly-Anne's case in relation to the Highway of Tears investigation. This investigation involves multiple women going missing along a large stretch of highway in Canada. Shelly is the only Alberta woman on the list.

Authorities have been looking at Shelly's case over the years, following up on new tips, interviews, and testing DNA samples. DNA was found at the scene that belongs to an unknown person who is considered a "person of interest" to police.

It has been 41 years since Shelly-Anne disappeared that night, and her mother, Muriel, is still hopeful for answers to her daughter's whereabouts. Shelly's father died in 2014 from cancer, and her mother would be 80 years old (the last interview I found was in 2020 when her mother was 76 years old).

Shellly-Anne was 4 feet 11 inches and weighed between 80-90 pounds at the time of her disappearance. She was reported to be wearing a burgundy velour sweater, a burgundy and grey jacket, grey sneakers, blue jeans with a stripe down the legs, a green emerald ring and opal earrings. Shelly would be 57 years old today if still alive.

Anyone with information about Shelley’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Hinton RCMP Detachment at (780) 865-2455 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You can also submit your tip online at www.p3tips.com.

3. Andre Ernest Gauthier (New Brunswick)

Andre Gauthier was last seen around 10:15 pm near Simms Corner on the west side of Saint John, New Brunswick on September 23, 1984. He was only 17 years old. There is not much information on the case.

In 2015, a case manager for Fulton County Doe was contacted about a potential match to Andre Gauthier. The John Doe had jumped to his death from a building in Atlanta, Georgia in 1993. There was no further information on this.

If alive today, Andre would be 57-58 years old. He was described as a white male with hazel eyes, brown hair, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and 139 lbs.

Andre was last seen wearing a black and orange vest, a white and blue Alpine t-shirt, blue faded jeans/pants, brown leather jacket (oversized), a silver, aluminum, stainless steel, lighter with "Andre" engraved on the front, and "July 10, 1984, Irene + Paul" on the back, with a keychain that said "I love NY."

If you have information on Andre's case, contact one of the following:

Saint John Police Force: (506)-648-3333 Reference Case #: 84-08488

Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477) or online at https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/tips (you can stay anonymous)

March 16, 2024

In 2001, 14 year old Justin Pollari ran away from his home in Hilton Beach, Ontario, Canada. He has never been seen since.

Many youth run away from home, but most are found soon after. In 2018, 92% of missing children in Canada were found within one week.

Justin's photo was shown a lot. Posters all across Canada were put on bulletin boards, transport trucks, ect. Some believe that if the authorities took the case more seriously earlier on, Justin would have been found. Many do not take runaways seriously at first, as they think they will make contact with loved ones shortly.

Justin Pollari was born on January 31, 1987. His parents divorced when he was a baby, and he was living with his father, John and stepmother, Janis McLeod at the time of his disappearance. He had dyed black hair that he would wear in a Mohawk. Justin had two earrings in his left ear. He was known as a troubled child, never doing well in school and struggled with his parents divorce.

On December 7, 2001, Justin came home upset. He had been in a fight and his lip was cut. It was reported that he had admitted to being in this fight, however he later denied it. He was very angry and it was reported that he had even lunged at his father.

A couple hours later, Justin left the house with his skateboard and backpack that had a few clothes in it. He was wearing dark blue or black baggy pants, a dark blue or black hooded sweater, and a black toque over his 6 inch Mohawk. He had red or burgundy running shoes on.

Justin had run away from home one other time, but had gone to a friends house and returned the next day. It is unclear why he left when he did and wanted to runaway, if that was even the plan.

In the first few years, many sightings of Justin were reported. Some claimed to have seen him in a shelter in Toronto. Another person said someone matching Justin's description introduced himself as "J."

Another theory speculates he could've went to Michigan, as Hilton Beach is extremely close to the U.S. border.

Justin's family believes he was going towards Toronto. His parents and grandparents made several trips up to Toronto (a 7 hour drive for them), to look for their missing son and grandson. They went to homeless shelters, asked homeless youth, and looked through the streets.

In 2003, Justin's parents (father and stepmother) expressed frustration, stating that the shelter system makes it somewhat easy for youth to live. They think Justin was lured in by the "glamour" of Toronto street living.

A gas station attendant in Sault Ste. Marie, believed to have seen Justin get into a Quik X truck around the time he disappeared. This sighting was not reported until mid 2005, almost 4 years later.

On May 16, 2005, Justin's case was reopened by the East Algoma O.P.P. with the Criminal Investigation Branch. A huge search was completed, with a canine unit and forensics.

After 4 days, the search led to nothing.

Justin' family kept a briefcase full of photos of Justin that they would hand out during searches. They also had letters and drawings he left, that they had not discovered until after he disappeared. Three months before the disappearance, Justin had wrote to his grade 9 teacher a letter that said,

"I really hate school and the government. At class I plan on trying until I get sick of it, then I'll give up and drop out when I'm 16."

It has been reported that most youth who runaway and are at risk do so because of troubles at/with school, being bullied, having difficulty making friends, or having major life changes such as divorce, moving, or changing schools. Most runaways do not perform well in school and are seen as troublesome to teachers and peers according to the stats.

Many people believe Justin is deceased, explaining why he has been missing for over 22 years. Others think Justin made it to Toronto, or another big city and has been living homeless. Locals think more people know what happened to Justin but are not speaking out.

In 2018, Justin's case was again reopened. There are age progression photos of him available. He would be 37 years old today.

Justin's nickname was "Woody." He was listed as being 5'11 and weighing around 140 pounds. He has blue eyes and a dimple in his chin. He wore his hair in a 6 inch Mohawk style which may be dyed black or blonde. He had two earrings in his left ear and wore heavy chain necklaces.

He may have been wearing a wooden name tag with the inscription "Woody." He was an avid skateboarder and may have been hanging around skate parks. He may go by the nickname "Joe."

If you have any information regarding Justin Pollari’s disappearance or whereabouts, please contact Crime Stoppers, you can stay anonymous. Call 1-800-222-8477(TIPS)

You can also call Missing Kids at 1-866-KID-TIPS(543-8477).

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP):