Molly's Story

Molly Anne Bish  was a sixteen-year-old girl from Warren, Massachusetts who was abducted and then murdered while working as a lifeguard in rural Massachusetts. Her body was found three years later after the largest search in the history of Massachusetts.

During the summer of 2000, Molly had been working as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren. The day before her abduction, her mother Magi Bish saw a man in a white sedan in the parking lot of the beach where her daughter's lifeguard post was positioned. Although the man looked suspicious to Magi, she had forgotten about him until after Molly's disappearance. The last person to see Molly before she was kidnapped was her mother.

It was believed that Molly's kidnapper had tricked her into believing he needed help from her and when she went to help him, she was abducted.

An extensive search took place to find Molly Bish. It was the largest and most expensive search for a missing person ever held in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her case was profiled on the American television shows America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, and 48 Hours.

On June 9, 2003, Molly's remains were found five miles from her family home. A hunter had seen a blue women's bathing suit in the woods in Palmer, Massachusetts in the late fall of 2002. When he mentioned this to a friend (a former police officer) in May 2003, they made the possible connection to Molly Bish, who had been wearing a blue bathing suit when she was abducted, and notified police.  An intense search of the area soon located Molly's remains.

In February 2009 a new suspect emerged in the Molly Bish murder. The suspect is Rodney Stanger, a Southbridge native who lived at 232 Everett Street in Southbridge until the home was sold on June 18, 2001, and had lived in Southbridge for more than two decades.

Stanger is now awaiting trial for the murder of his live-in girlfriend in Florida. The sister of that victim alerted the Massachusetts authorities about Stanger, following her sister's murder. It is alleged that Stanger may have had access to a white car similar to that seen on the day of Bish's disappearance, was known to fish in Comins Pond, was known to hunt in the woods where Bish's body was found, and closely matches the Suspect Composite Sketch provided by Magi Bish, of the man seen in the white car the day before the murder.

To date, there have been no arrests in Molly’s case.

It is unclear if Stanger is considered a suspect in the 1993 murder of Holly Pirainan, who was abducted in nearby Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Holly’s abduction and murdrer also remains unsolved.

As a result of this tragedy, Molly's parents, Magi and John Bish, started The Molly Bish Foundation in Molly's memory.  Their goal is very simple; to raise awareness by becoming  advocates for child safety.

The Molly Bish Foundation, with a host of dedicated volunteers and organizations, continuies to provide child identification kits; as well as safety and educational programs for families, schools, community groups and Law Enforcement throughout New England.