THIS SATURDAY MARKS 20 YEARS SINCE THE ABDUCTION OF
16-YEAR-OLD MOLLY BISH WHO WAS TAKEN FROM COMINS POND IN
WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS WHERE SHE WAS WORKING AS A LIFEGUARD.
HER REMAINS WERE FOUND THREE YEARS LATER IN THE WOODS OF THE
NEIGHBORING TOWN OF PALMER, AND THE CASE REMAINS UNSOLVED TO
THIS DAY.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SPOKE WITH MOLLY'S SISTER HEATHER BISH
ABOUT THE CASE, AND THE BISH FAMILY'S CONTINUED PURSUIT OF
JUSTICE FOR MOLLY.
>> I'VE BEEN THINKING BACK AND REFLECTING THIS WEEK AND I MISS
MY SISTER AS MUCH AS I DID 20 YEARS AGO, WITHOUT A DOUBT.
BUT SO MUCH HAS CHANGED IN 20 YEARS.
MY FATHER HAD A STROKE, HE'S RECOVERED BUT CAN'T BE AS ACTIVE
AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN.
MY MOM HAS RETIRED AND TAKING CARE OF HIM.
MY BROTHERS HAD CHILDREN.
MY DAUGHTER GREW UP, SHE WAS A BABY WHEN MOLLY DISAPPEARED AND
NOW SHE'S GOING INTO HER THIRD YEAR OF COLLEGE.
SO, SO MUCH HAS CHANGED AND THE THINGS WE DIDN'T IMAGINE COMING
OUT OF THIS HAVE DEVELOPED.
THEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT REMAIN THE SAME.
WE STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE PERSON WHO DID THIS TO MOLLY, WE
STILL DON'T KNOW WHY THIS PERSON DID THIS TO MOLLY.
AND THERE'S INITIATIVES THAT MY FAMILY FEELS VERY STRONGLY
ABOUT, SOME OF THEM BEING POLICE TRAINING, SOMETHING THAT'S BEING
REALLY TALKED ABOUT AND DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW, AND ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TO LEARN THE HARD WAY WAS THAT OUR LOCAL
POLICE OFFICERS WERE NOT TRAINED IN MISSING PERSONS CASES.
SO I CONTINUE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.
I WORRY ABOUT THE SMALL TOWNS LIKE COLERAIN OR THE TRURO TOWNS
THAT ARE SMALL AND THE RESOURCES ARE DIFFERENT.
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE MECHANISMS IN PLACE LIKE AMBER ALERT AND THESE
TOOLS THAT OFFICERS CAN USE NOW, MY FEAR IS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT
KNOW HOW TO IMPLEMENT THESE TOOLS, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF
TRAINING.
SO IT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK ON, AND HOPE
THAT ANOTHER FAMILY NEVER HAS TO EXPERIENCE WHAT WE'VE GONE
THROUGH IN LOSING MOLLY.
>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT POLICE TRAINING, IN MOLLY'S CASE THERE
WAS A DELAY IN CLASSIFYING THIS AS AN ABDUCTION.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
>> YES.
WE EXPERIENCED BIAS.
MOLLY WAS 16 YEARS OLD, SHE WAS AN HONOR ROLL STUDENT, SHE
PLAYED THREE SPORTS, THIS WAS HER SECOND JOB.
SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF A PROBATION OFFICER AND TEACHER.
WE DIDN'T GET AWAY WITH TOO MUCH, AND INITIALLY THE POLICE
WHEN IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE LIFEGUARD WAS MISSING BY A
PARENT WHO ARRIVED AT THE POND, THE POLICE REACTION WAS, OH,
SHE'S PROBABLY JUST WITH HER FRIENDS.
THEY DIDN'T CHECK ON MOLLY.
IF THEY HAD CHECKED MAYBE THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY
WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT HER SHOES WERE STILL THERE AND SHE HAD
LEFT ALL THE BELONGINGS THAT SHE HAD THERE.
SO THE REACTION, YOU KNOW, WAS BIASED.
AND THAT CONTINUED FOR A FEW DAYS.
THEY THOUGHT SHE WAS A RUNAWAY.
I REMEMBER GATHERING THE NEXT DAY AFTER MOLLY DISAPPEARED AND
ANOTHER POLICE OFFICER THAT WAS FROM OUR TOWN SAID, WELL, SHE'S
PROBABLY JUST TRIPPING IN THE WOODS.
AND WE WERE ALL LIKE, THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.
NOT ONLY DO YOU LOSE YOUR PERSON, THIS PERSON THAT YOU
DON'T KNOW WHO TOOK THEM, THAT HUGE FEAR AND BETRAYAL AND CRIME
HAPPENED, BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE POLICE WHO AREN'T TAKING THIS
SERIOUSLY, WHO AREN'T REACTING.
SO FOR, WELL, FOR SEVEN YEARS AFTER MY DAD HAD THE STROKE IN
2007, HE WOULD TRAVEL THE COUNTRY AND SPEAK TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND SAY OVERREACT TO MISSING CHILDREN CASES, THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH OVERREACTING BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU FIND THE
CHILD, AND EVEN IF THEY DID RUN AWAY, THAT'S A WIN.
AND WE WANT MORE WINS THAN WE WANT LOSSES.
WE HAD AN AMBER ALERT IN SPRINGFIELD THIS PAST YEAR, SO I
THINK THESE MECHANISMS IN PLACE AND PROPER TRAINING, WE CAN HAVE
BETTER RESULTS.
AND WE HOPE THAT THESE CRIMES DON'T HAPPEN THAT OFTEN.
BUT IF THEY DO, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE IN A SMALL COMMUNITY IN
MASSACHUSETTS, YOU'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO.
SO, AND AGAIN, THE CRIME SCENE WASN'T PRESERVED.
IT WAS TRAMPLED, SO THAT INHIBITED OUR INVESTIGATION,
EVEN TODAY.
I'VE BEEN LITERALLY HELPING THE POLICE TRY TO FIND A MURDERER
FOR 20 YEARS AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING ANYBODY SHOULD HAVE TO
DO.
>> WHEN YOU MENTIONED AMBER ALERT, THAT WAS NOT EVEN AN
OPTION BACK IN 2000 WHEN YOUR SISTER WENT MISSING.
I KNOW THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT YOU PUSHED FOR IN
ADDITION TO POLICE TRAINING, ALSO KIND OF LOOKING AT D.N.A.
AND FAMILIAL D.N.A.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY, THAT'S SOMETHING I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT.
OVER THE PAST YEARS WE LEARNED WE LEARNED WE WEREN'T THE ONLY
FAMILY WHO HAD A SIGNIFICANT LOSS LIKE THIS AND THERE ARE
MANY FAMILIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED UNRESOLVED MURDERS.
AS A RESULT, I LEARNED A LOT OF INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS AND ONE
THAT'S BEING USED IN 14 OTHER STATES IS USING FAMILIAL D.N.A.
TESTING.
WHAT THAT DOES IS IT TAKES YOUR CODA SYSTEM WHERE ALL OUR
CRIMINALS THAT COMMIT FELONIES ARE IN THIS DATA BASE, AND SO IF
YOU HAVE AN UNRESOLVED OR UNIDENTIFIED D.N.A.
SAMPLE, YOU CAN MATCH IT TO THE SYSTEM AND
SOMETIMES THERE'S A HIT AND YOU WRAP UP THAT CASE.
SOMETIMES YOUR HIT IS A PARTIAL HIT, AND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN IS
SOMEBODY IN THAT PERSON'S FAMILY MAY HAVE COMMITTED THIS CRIME.
SO THEY USE THAT AS SORT OF A GATEWAY TO LEAD YOU TO, OH,
WHERE WAS THIS PERSON'S UNCLE, BROTHER, FATHER, YOU KNOW, WHO
EVER, IN RELATION TO THE VICTIM AND THE CONTEXT OF THE CRIME.
AND IT'S HAD REMARKABLE RESULTS, AND REALLY SOLVED A LOT OF THESE
20-YEAR-OLD CASES.
SO MY HOPE ISN'T MAYBE THAT IT MIGHT JUST WORK FOR MOLLY, BUT
IT MIGHT WORK FOR ANY OF THESE UNRESOLVED CASES IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
I THINK ABOUT PATTY IN WORCESTER WHO HAPPY HAD HER CRIME SOLVED.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NAMES AND FACES AND FAMILIES THAT ARE IN
THE SAME BOAT WITH US.
>> DOES THE ZEEGER CASE GIVE YOU HOPE KNOWING THAT 20 YEARS AFTER
SHE WAS MURDERED THERE WAS FINALLY AN ARREST?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND I CANNOT SING THE PRAISES OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY GULIUNI
ENOUGH.
I THINK HIS COMMITMENT AND HIS USE OF TECHNOLOGY AND REALLY
DIGGING INTO THESE OLDER CASES AND FINDING WAYS TO SOLVE THEM
IS REMARKABLE.
AND I JUST, I HAVE HOPE BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE HIM THAT ARE IN
THESE POSITIONS OF POWER AND KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE ALL THESE
CRIMES THAT ARE HAPPENING TODAY IN THE PRESENT, AND THEN TO BE
ABLE TO LOOK BACK AT AN OLDER CASE AND SAY, NO, WE CAN STILL
DO THIS AND THIS IS HOW WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, THAT GIVES ME A
LOT OF HOPE.
SO I AM INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL TO THE D.A. IN HAMPDEN COUNTY AND I
JUST HOPE THAT OTHER D.A.'S WILL TAKE SIMILAR ACTIONS.
>> AND YOUR CASE IS NOT IN HAMP KEN COUNTY, IT'S IN WORCESTER
COUNTY.
>> RIGHT.
>> BECAUSE OF WHERE SHE WAS TAKEN FROM IN WARREN.
YOU HAD MENTIONED ALSO THAT YOU SPENT THE LAST 20 YEARS TRYING
TO HELP POLICE FIND A MURDERER.
HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY FACE EACH DAY?
YOU HAVE A 21-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER.
AND THIS IS YOUR REALITY.
HOW DO YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO CONTINUE DOING THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK WE'VE BEEN VERY LUCKY IN MY FAMILY, ALTHOUGH
WE'VE SUFFERED SOME GREAT TRAGEDIES AND LOSSES, WE'VE BEEN
ABLE TO MAINTAIN SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE FOR SOME TIME IN THE
BEGINNING WE WOULD HAVE WHAT WE CALLED FRAGILE FRIDAYS AND WE
WOULD MEET AT A LOCAL RESTAURANT AND HAVE FRIED FISH DINNERS, AND
EACH OF US WOULD BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE IN OUR JOURNEY
AND IN OUR GRIEVING, AND MY PARENTS WERE JUST BUILDING THE
FOUNDATION.
BUT IT KEPT US TIED TOGETHER.
AND THROUGH THOSE, YOU KNOW, TIES WE'VE ALSO BEEN SURROUNDED
BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I KNOW THAT MY FRIENDS ARE MY SAVING GRACE.
I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THIS, AND BE STRONG AND BE BRAVE
AND BE ABLE TO CRY AND HAVE PART BAD TSUNAMI DAYS WITHOUT MY
FRIENDS THERE HOLDING MY HAND AND SOMETIMES HOLDING ME UP.
BUT ENCOURAGING ME AND LOVING ME AND BELIEVING IN ME.
AND I THINK THOSE CONNECTIONS ARE WHAT'S KEPT US ABLE TO
CONTINUE ON.
THE FOUNDATION WAS BUILT AT OUR KITCHEN TABLE WITH MY PARENTS'
VERY GOOD FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS.
SO WE'VE BEEN INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE.
>>> THERE'S A MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE TIP LINE FOR ANYONE
WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THE MOLLY BISH CASE.