WARREN, Mass. (WWLP) – On June 27, 2000, Molly Bish’s mother dropped her off at her lifeguard job at Comins Pond in Warren. This was the last time she was seen alive by her family.
Three years later, the 16-year-old’s skeletal remains were found in a wooded area near Whiskey Hill in Palmer. Her case remains unsolved 24 years after her disappearance. While there have been numerous leads and persons of interest in the case, none of been officially charged with her murder.
A white car seen not far from Comins Pond had been one of the strongest clues in the disappearance. Based on tips the Bish family received, it was thought that the car could have been buried at a campground in West Brookfield, but a search in June 2017 using ground-penetrating radar turned up nothing.
In 2021, the Worcester County DA announced Francis Sumner, Sr. as a possible person of interest in the case. Sumner, who had a long criminal history including convictions for rape and kidnapping, looked similar to a man Molly’s mother Magi Bish saw near Comins Pond the day before Molly disappeared. Sumner died in 2016 but lived in central Massachusetts from 1960 until his death, last living in Spencer.
Last year, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, Jr. announced that additional DNA testing was underway in the case.
The investigation into Molly Bish’s death remains ongoing. If you have any information on the case, you are asked to call 1-855-MA-SOLVE.
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