Heather Bish turned to TikTok in 2021, two decades after her sister Molly went missing, to keep the case in the public eye and generate tips. “It’s allowed me to like share my story and share Molly’s story and really just be honest,” she said. She posts frequently, pleading with anyone who knows something to come forward: “If you know something, please say something. The wait needs to be over.”
Molly Bish was last seen the morning of June 27, 2000. The 16-year-old left home for her lifeguard shift at Comins Pond in Warren, Massachusetts, after playing with Heather’s infant daughter. Shortly after she arrived, beachgoers found her lifeguard chair and personal items — her shoes, a police radio and an open first aid kit — but Molly herself was gone. Her family has long insisted she would not have left without her shoes.
Local police launched a search that quickly expanded into a State Police investigation. Detectives interviewed family, friends and Molly’s boyfriend at the time, Steven Lukas, who was later cleared. Investigators also reviewed known sex offenders with ties to the area. The Bish family, who describe Molly as an honor‑roll student, varsity athlete and dedicated lifeguard, rejected theories that she walked away or drowned.
Magi Bish, Molly’s mother, said she had seen a solitary man in a white car the morning before Molly disappeared; he had been smoking. Authorities released a sketch based on Magi’s memory and later produced a second, different sketch. Multiple witnesses later reported seeing a white car near the pond on the day Molly vanished.
In May 2003 a hunter discovered parts of a weathered blue bathing suit on Whiskey Hill, about five miles from Comins Pond. Forensic anthropologist Dr. Ann Marie Mires estimated the suit had been in the woods for roughly three years. That tip prompted concentrated searches of the area. Initial DNA tests on the fabric were inconclusive, but a subsequent, more intensive search of Whiskey Hill turned up human remains.
Over three weeks investigators recovered bones and a skull scattered across roughly 35 acres. DNA and dental analysis confirmed the remains were Molly’s. Mires suggested the killer chose Whiskey Hill for its seclusion and likely familiarity with the land; she also noted scavenging animals may have dispersed the bones. While the discovery ended uncertainty about Molly’s fate, it intensified efforts to identify who killed her.
Early in the probe search dogs tracked Molly’s scent from the pond toward a nearby cemetery, reinforcing the theory she had been taken from the pond area. Family members and some reporters suggested the open first aid kit and other clues could indicate an abductor feigned injury to gain her trust or assistance.
A grand jury convened in May 2004 and family members testified, but the transcripts remain sealed. Prosecutors dismissed the grand jury in December 2006 without an indictment, a decision that deeply disappointed the family. After Molly’s father, who had worked closely with police, suffered a stroke in 2007, Heather took on a larger role pushing for answers.
Over the years investigators followed multiple leads and examined several persons of interest. In 2008 Rodney Stanger, arrested in Florida for an unrelated murder, was flagged by someone who thought he resembled an early sketch and had local ties; investigators interviewed him in prison, executed search warrants in 2012, and submitted material for DNA testing, but officials said there was insufficient evidence to name him as an official suspect.
A 2011 tip identified Gerald Battistoni as someone who reportedly raped a woman in the woods where Molly’s remains were found; Battistoni died in prison in 2014. State Police say Battistoni, like others mentioned over time, was on investigators’ radar.
In June 2021 the Worcester District Attorney’s Office publicly named Francis “Frank” Sumner Sr. as the first official person of interest. Sumner, a local auto repair shop owner who died in 2016, had an extensive criminal record that included convictions for rape and kidnapping, was familiar with the area, and had been photographed smoking — details that matched aspects of the sketches and witness descriptions. Prosecutors said newly reviewed information and “some dots that were connected” prompted the announcement.
Authorities hoped to compare Sumner’s DNA to evidence from the case, but Sumner had been cremated and his DNA was not in the national CODIS system. Investigators obtained DNA from his son, who was incarcerated, and ran tests that Heather Bish says were described to her as “inconclusive.” The district attorney’s office has not publicly released detailed DNA findings. DA Joe Early Jr. emphasized that DNA alone might not be enough to bring charges: “This isn’t just a DNA case… We need a little bit more… to name a person as a defendant,” he said.
The family has repeatedly expressed frustration with the pace and transparency of the investigation. Heather’s social media advocacy keeps public attention on the case; investigators say her efforts help sustain scrutiny. Lt. Shawn Murphy of the State Police described Heather as a “fierce advocate” and said he welcomes accountability.
In March 2025 Detective Chelsea Safford was assigned to the Bish case and began organizing more than 80 boxes of accumulated files and evidence. Safford has been reexamining past tips and evidence with fresh eyes and has reviewed items stored in the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab’s DNA cold storage, including the bathing suit, cigarette samples and other materials seized over the years. She has singled out Molly’s backpack as a potentially revealing piece of evidence. “I believe that that one more piece is out there… I just have to keep digging,” Safford said. She told investigators and media she will not stop until answers are found: “When I dedicate myself to something I do not stop until it’s accomplished… None of us can bring Molly back, but the best thing I can do is find out what happened.”
When Sumner was named publicly on June 3, 2021, the family hoped it would accelerate justice. With the DNA results inconclusive and Sumner deceased, the search for definitive answers continues. Heather maintains that someone knows what happened: “Somebody knows something, and somebody knows who killed Molly Bish. I will never give up… Molly deserves that justice.”
On June 27, 2025, family and friends gathered to mark the 25th anniversary of Molly’s disappearance with a ceremony at the cemetery and a memorial in Warren. Magi Bish said the family draws strength from Molly’s memory: “I believe Molly’s love and light have guided us through these 25 years… because of Molly we have conquered what evil could not… for love is much stronger.” The family continues to honor her and press for answers.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Molly Bish Tipline at 508-453-7575.
Produced by Chris Young Ritzen. Alicia Tejada is coordinating producer. Michael McHugh is producer-editor. Marc Goldbaum is development producer. Michelle Harris is editor. Peter Schweitzer is senior producer. Nancy Kramer is executive story editor. Judy Tygard is executive producer.