Holly's Been Taken. The unsolved murder of Holly Piirainen
They found their sister's sneaker near a wooden fence. There was no note, visible sign of a struggle or an accident. But a 10-year-old girl who lived a serene, happy life disappeared in August 1993 while on vacation at her grandparent's house in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. On that horrible day, she and her baby brother took a 5-minute walk to see a litter of collie puppies play on a neighbor's property. Her brother returned home shortly afterward, leaving his sister alone. Then she was gone. No one saw what happened. Or so it seems.
Just before her disappearance, about 200 yards away, a man in a pickup truck leered at two teen girls, terrifying them as they checked their mailbox. They feared he was about to grab one of them. Holly Piirainen's remains were found 79 days later in the woods about nine miles away. The medical examiner marked it a homicide.
A team of retired investigators believes the man in the pickup is responsible for the abduction and murder of Holly, but her case is still unsolved. Three decades later, Holly's story has never been told in its entirety. With the cooperation of Holly's family, I decided to tackle the story of what happened that day. Let's discover what we know and don't know and who are the persons of interest. And...let’s be prepared to uncover some new details along the way.
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY: Contact Richard Price: [email protected]; (508) 614-9367
- Update frequency
- every 26 days
- Average duration
- 38 minutes
- Episodes
- 7
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2023
The Man in the Pickup Truck
Rodney Stanger
David Pouliot
In January 2012, The Hampden District Attorney held a hastily called press conference to reveal new evidence regarding the murder of Holly Piirainen. A DNA match connected deceased Springfield, Massa…
Accessible But Not Inviting
Seventy-nine days after Holly's abduction, a group of hunters discovered her remains. Located in Brimfield, Massachusetts, about nine miles from her kidnapping in Sturbridge, the site and how she was…
Expert explains cold cases and the process of solving them
In this episode, we will meet Dr. Jim Adcock, founder of the Mid-South Cold Case Initiative and an expert on death investigation and the cold case process. We will take a macro look at victimology, s…
I Have My Holly Shell
Meet Holly Piirainen's cousin, Leah Jolin, in this open and frank interview. She will talk about the days before the abduction, their relationship, and more about Holly's personality. This interview …
Holly's Been Taken
In August 1993, 10-year-old Holly Piirainen took a short walk with her baby brother to admire a litter of puppies playing in a neighbor's yard. Her brother returned home, leaving her alone. Then she …