Credit: Hampden DA
Thirty-two years have passed since 10-year-old Holly Piirainen left her grandparents’ home in Sturbridge to see a litter of puppies and never came back. Her disappearance in the summer of 1993, and the discovery of her remains that October in a wooded area off Five Bridge Road in Brimfield, shattered a community and forever changed Western Massachusetts. Decades later, one question still lingers: who took Holly’s life?
To honor Holly and continue efforts to solve her case, the Hampden District Attorney’s Office will again host a Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) event in Brimfield on Nov. 9, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Public Safety Complex, 34 Wales Rd. Any community member is encouraged to take part by providing a simple cheek swab, which could help generate new investigative leads. This marks the second FIGG event the office has hosted in hopes of advancing Holly’s case.
Through FIGG, DNA collected from crime-scene evidence can be compared against publicly available genealogy databases to identify distant relatives of unknown suspects — sometimes reaching fourth, fifth, or even sixth cousins. Investigators then use those connections to build family trees, narrow down possibilities, and, in some cases, identify offenders who have eluded justice for decades.
Participants in this event will not only help expand this critical database but will also receive their own full ancestry and family-tree information free of charge, a service that typically costs up to several hundred dollars.
District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said, “Each new DNA sample has the power to bring us closer to the truth. Holly deserves justice, and her family deserves answers. This effort is about remembering her and using every available tool to find the person responsible.”
Holly’s case remains open and active. She was last seen around 11:45 a.m. on August 5, 1993, near the intersection of Allen and South Shore Roads in Sturbridge. That day, she told her father she was going to visit a neighboring home to see puppies. About one hour later, Holly was reported missing by her father. A search began, and her father found her sneaker along South Shore Road. Police were notified and a massive search began by local and state police, sheriff’s departments, and law enforcement contingents from Connecticut and Rhode Island. The search stretched on for days and weeks, continuing with no results.
On Oct. 23, 1993, hunters discovered her remains in a wooded area off Five Bridge Road in Brimfield.
The crime scene was photographed and processed by personnel from the Massachusetts State Police, including its Crime Scene Services Section and Crime Laboratory, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Items discovered at or near the location of Holly’s remains were documented, seized, and have been maintained by the Massachusetts State Police since that time. Throughout the subsequent investigation into Holly’s disappearance and death, evidence has been reviewed, identified for forensic analysis, and subjected to various testing procedures.
Investigators encourage anyone with information related to Holly’s murder to contact Holly’s Tip-Line at 413-426-3507.You may also use Text-a-Tip by texting the word CRIMES (2-7-4-6-3-7) and typing the word SOLVE into the body of the message, followed by your tip.
Republished courtesy of Hampden DA