Molly Bish case still unsolved after 25 years

  • Molly Bish went missing during her shift as a lifeguard 25 years ago
  • Her remains were found 3 years after her disappearance
  • Police are still looking for clues as to what happened

WARREN, MA – AUGUST 1: Copies of People magazine featuring the vanished women, with a photo of Molly Bish on the cover, is part of the breakfast table in her parents’, John and Magi Bish, home in Warren, MA on Aug. 1, 2001. Molly Ann Bish (August 2, 1983 June 27, 2000) was a sixteen-year-old American girl from rural Worcester County, Massachusetts, who disappeared while working as a lifeguard in her hometown of Warren, Massachusetts. Her remains were found three years later in neighboring Hampden County after what became the largest search in the state’s history. (Photo by Janet Knott/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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(NewsNation) — Police are still searching for clues after 16-year-old Molly Bish disappeared from her job as a lifeguard in Massachusetts 25 years ago.

According to NewsNation local affiliate WWLP, Bish’s mother dropped Bish off at her job on June 27, 2000. This was the last time she was seen alive by anyone in her family. Three years later, a hunter found skeletal remains in a wooded area near Palmer, Massachusetts.

One of the strongest clues has been a white car that was allegedly seen near Comins Pond, Massachusetts, where Bish’s job was. Bish’s family believed that car had been buried at a campground, but when police searched in June 2017, they found nothing.

Her sister, Heather Bish, said that her family misses her every single day, and they are still looking to support the investigation. NBC Boston reported that Bish’s family has previously said they were disappointed in the district attorney’s office and the Massachusetts State Police.

Possible person of interest previously named in Molly Bish case

The Worcester County DA did name Francis Sumner Sr. as a possible person of interest in 2021. Summer had a long criminal history of convictions for rape and kidnapping and allegedly looked similar to the man who Bish’s mother, Magi Bish, saw near Comins Pond the day before her daughter disappeared.

Sumner died in 2016, but he did live in central Massachusetts from 1960 until he died. He last lived in Spencer, Massachusetts.

Then, in 2023, the DA, Joseph Early Jr., said that additional DNA testing was underway. However, the investigation is still ongoing. If you have information on Bish’s case, you should call 1-855-MA-SOLVE.

Investigators have reportedly received over 6,700 leads in the past few decades. According to NBC Boston, there are over 265 pieces of physical evidence stored in bags at the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab in Sudbury.

Missing

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