Holly Piirainen

Who was Holly Piirainen?

Holly Kristen Piirainen was a ten-year-old American murder victim from Grafton, Massachusetts. She and her brother had been visiting their grandparents in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.

Holly and her brother had gone to a neighbor's house to see puppies. Her brother had returned to the cottage where the grandparents lived, but Holly did not. One of Holly's shoes was found by the side of a road.

Searching for Holly took two months. On October 23, 1993, Holly's remains were found by hunters in Brimfield, Massachusetts. The killer still has not been found.

In the town of Warren, not far from Grafton, Molly Bish was the same age as Holly when she heard about Holly's disappearance. Molly wrote a letter to Holly's family, telling them she was hoping for Holly's safe return home. Molly was kidnapped and murdered herself seven years after Holly was killed. Police began suspecting if Holly's killer was the same person who killed Molly years later.

Since Holly's death, the Holly Piirainen Scholarship Fund was placed in her memory by her family.