Molly Anne Bish was a vibrant, athletic, and kindhearted 16-year-old girl from Warren, Massachusetts. On June 27, 2000, she went missing from her lifeguard post at Comins Pond, where she had just started working for the summer. What began as an ordinary morning turned into one of the largest and most heartbreaking missing-person cases in Massachusetts history.
For three long years, her family and community searched, refusing to give up hope. Tragically, in 2003, her remains were discovered just a few miles from her home. The loss devastated her family, but their strength and resilience have turned Molly’s memory into a force for good.
Her parents and siblings created the Molly Bish Foundation, dedicated to improving child safety, supporting families of missing children, and working with law enforcement to strengthen prevention programs. Molly’s story has since inspired changes in safety awareness across the country, particularly around background checks and security at youth programs.
Though her life was cut short, Molly Bish’s legacy lives on through her family’s advocacy, the foundation’s work, and the many lives touched by her story. She is remembered not only as a victim, but as a symbol of love, hope, and the importance of protecting children everywhere.
Molly Bish’s Final Day
Morning at home (Warren, Massachusetts)
-
Molly was 16 years old and had just finished her junior year of high school.
-
She had recently started her summer job as a lifeguard at Comins Pond, only eight days before she vanished.
-
On the morning of June 27, 2000, Molly woke up early at her family’s home.
-
Her mother, Maggi Bish, drove her to work, just as she had the previous days.
The suspicious sighting
-
On the morning before her disappearance (June 26), Maggi noticed a strange man sitting alone in a white sedan parked at Comins Pond, smoking a cigarette. He seemed out of place.
-
The man had dark hair and a mustache. Maggi felt uneasy enough that she kept an eye on him until he eventually drove away.
-
The next day, June 27, when she brought Molly to the pond, the man was not visibly there — but investigators believe he may have been in the area, unseen.
Arrival at Comins Pond (~9:50 a.m.)
-
Molly and her mother arrived at Comins Pond between 9:45 and 10:00 a.m.
-
Maggi dropped Molly off near the lifeguard station. Molly waved to her mom as she carried her lifeguard equipment — a chair cushion, whistle, and first-aid kit — down to the beach.
-
This was the last confirmed sighting of Molly Bish.
The disappearance (shortly after 10:00 a.m.)
-
Around 10:00 a.m., parents and children began arriving for swimming lessons. They noticed the lifeguard stand was unattended.
-
Molly’s equipment (sandals, chair cushion, first-aid kit, and water bottle) were found on the beach. Her lifeguard chair was set up — but she was gone.
-
There were no signs of a struggle on the sand.
Realization and response
-
By late morning, parents became concerned that no lifeguard was present.
-
Molly’s boss and family were contacted, and by the afternoon, authorities were searching Comins Pond and the surrounding woods.
-
An enormous search operation followed, becoming the largest missing-person investigation in Massachusetts history at the time.
Discovery of remains (2003)
-
For three years, her disappearance remained a mystery.
-
In June 2003, a hunter found Molly’s remains in the woods of Palmer, Massachusetts, about five miles from her family’s home.
-
The area was rugged and difficult to search, which explained why it had gone unnoticed during earlier efforts.
👉 The chilling detail is how quickly she vanished — in the short window between her mother leaving and the first swimmers arriving, someone abducted her in broad daylight.
Suspects and Persons of Interest
Over the years, investigators have looked at several men with violent pasts who could have been connected to Molly’s disappearance:
-
Rodney Stanger – A violent man with ties to central Massachusetts, later convicted of murder in Florida. He was considered a prime suspect but died in prison in 2023 without being charged in the Bish case.
-
Gerald “Russell” Battistoni – A convicted rapist and career criminal who lived in the area and had connections to organized crime. He strongly resembled a composite sketch created from eyewitness reports of a suspicious man seen near Comins Pond around the time of Molly’s disappearance. Battistoni was serving time in prison when investigators began focusing on him, but in 2014 he died by suicide in his cell before any charges were filed.
-
Francis “Frank” Sumner Sr. – In 2021, the Worcester County District Attorney named Sumner, a convicted rapist and auto shop owner, as another person of interest. He had died in 2016, but his background and presence in the region kept his name in the case. Investigators have since sought DNA comparisons to determine if he can be tied to Molly’s case.
These names highlight how complex and difficult the investigation has been, with multiple possible suspects and overlapping connections to other tragic cases, such as the 1993 murder of Holly Piirainen.
