Transcript

Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode

From 48 Hours · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 42 min · 5,507 words · 55 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode", an episode of 48 Hours published December 12, 2025 (42 min, about 5,507 words). It mentions 37 people, works and ideas, including Molly Bish, Comins Pond, Massachusetts State Police, Kathy Curran, John Conte.

What this episode is about

The disappearance of Molly Bish, a teenager and lifeguard in Massachusetts, remains a haunting mystery nearly 21 years later. The case details the frantic search efforts the day she vanished, including the discovery of her belongings left at the pond, and raises critical questions about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance—whether it was accidental, an abduction, or something else entirely.

Key takeaways

  • Grief endures as 7,680-day mystery haunts, but TikTok now drives the modern quest for justice.
  • Detectives missed clues: flip-flops remained, but Molly Bish vanished into Comins Pond's secrets.
  • She defied drowning; athletic build and life-saving skills point towards abduction over accident.
  • 25-year saga tightens familial bonds during relentless pursuit; justice for Molly Bish is overdue.
  • From WBZ to TikTok, broadcast evolution aids in transforming tragedy into hopeful resolution.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Comins Pond, Molly Bish, Heather Bish, Police radio
  2. – 10:00: 48 Hours, Comins Pond, Dan Richard, Heather Bish
  3. – 15:00: Comins Pond, Kathy Curran, Molly Bish, Ann Marie Mires
  4. – 20:00: Whiskey Hill, John Bish, John Conte, Massachusetts State Police
  5. – 25:00: Molly Bish, Comins Pond, John Conte, Kathy Curran
  6. – 30:00: Person of interest, Donald C. Murphy, Comins Pond, Gerald Battistoni
  7. – 35:00: CODIS database, Comins Pond, Donald C. Murphy, Francis "Frank" Sumner Sr.
  8. – 40:00: Molly Bish, Massachusetts State Police, 48 Hours, Chelsea Safford
  9. – 42:02: Comins Pond

Notable quotes from "Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode"

  • It was her eighth day as a lifeguard at Comins Pond.
    about Comins Pond · at
  • To the man responsible for the abduction of my sister, Molly Bish, I want you to know I'm coming for you.
    about Molly Bish · at
  • In 2021, two decades after her sister went missing, Heather Bish did something she never thought she would do.
    about Heather Bish · at
  • 16-year-old Molly was Magi and John Bish's third and youngest child.
    about John Bish · at
  • Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant Colonel Dan Richard headed to Warren to help out.
    about Massachusetts State Police · at
  • Former WBZ investigative reporter Kathy Curran.
    about Kathy Curran · at
  • Dr. Ann Marie Mires, a forensic anthropologist for the Boston Medical Examiner's Office, was summoned by police to the area known as Whiskey Hill, located about 5 miles from Comins Pond.
    about Whiskey Hill · at
  • Whom the investigators actually questioned, but they would later clear Steven Lukas as a person of interest.
    about Person of interest · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Molly Bish — Person · 13 mentions · first at
  • Kathy Curran — Person · 5 mentions · first at
  • John Conte — Person · 4 mentions · first at
    Also present at the scene was then Worcester District Attorney John Conte.
  • Heather Bish — Person · 3 mentions · first at
  • John Bish — Person · 3 mentions · first at
  • Steven Lukas — Person · 3 mentions · first at
    Detectives zeroed in on everyone who was close to Molly, including family members, friends, and Molly's boyfriend, Steven Lukas.
  • Donald C. Murphy — Person · 3 mentions · first at
    Sean Murphy is a lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police.
  • Magi Bish — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    By the time they told Magi Bish, Molly had been missing for three hours.
  • Dan Richard — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant Colonel Dan Richard headed to Warren to help out.
  • Joseph S. Nye, Jr. — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    And Joe Early Jr. took over as Worcester District Attorney.
  • Mikaela — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Molly was playing with Heather's 11-month-old daughter, Mikaela.
  • John Jr. — Person · 1 mention · first at
    John Jr. is Molly Bish's brother.
  • Ann Marie Mires — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Three years after Molly Bish disappeared, Dr. Ann Marie Mires, a forensic anthropologist for the Boston Medical Examiner's Office, was summoned by police to the area known as Whiskey Hill, located about 5 miles from Comins Pond.
  • Rodney Stanger — Person · 1 mention · first at
    In 2008, a man who resembled the sketch, named Rodney Stanger, was arrested for murdering his girlfriend in Florida.
  • Gerald Battistoni — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And then in 2011, a private investigator came to Heather with a new tip about a man named Gerald Battistoni.
  • Francis "Frank" Sumner Sr. — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Frank Sumner Jr. — Person · 1 mention · first at
    So authorities traveled to Ohio to get DNA from his son, Frank Sumner Jr.
  • Chelsea Safford — Person · 1 mention · first at
    ♪♪ -In March of 2025, Detective Chelsea Safford was hired...
  • Sherri Mittelholzer — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Sherri Mittelholzer is a forensic support section manager at the crime lab.

Companies & orgs

  • Massachusetts State Police — Company · 5 mentions · first at
  • Worcester District Attorney's Office — Company · 3 mentions
  • 48 Hours — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    48 Hours interviewed John back in 2003.
  • WBZ-TV — Company · 1 mention · first at
    June 27, 2000, I was a reporter at WBZ-TV in Boston.
  • XtraMart — Company · 1 mention · first at
    She stopped at a XtraMart and purchased a bottle of water.
  • WBZ-4 News — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Live from Warren, Kathy Curran, WBZ-4 News.
  • Boston Medical Examiner's Office — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Three years after Molly Bish disappeared, Dr. Ann Marie Mires, a forensic anthropologist for the Boston Medical Examiner's Office, was summoned by police to the area known as Whiskey Hill, located about 5 miles from Comins Pond.
  • Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab — Company · 1 mention · first at
    She allowed 48 Hours to accompany her to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab's DNA cold-storage facility in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
  • CODIS — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

  • Police radio — Product · 2 mentions · first at
    She went to the police station, secured a police radio.

Concepts & topics

Places & events

Full transcript with timestamps

♪♪ -It's been 7,680 days since my sister disappeared, and I've been waiting for answers on what happened to her. -This is one of those cases that has haunted me my entire career. I was there from day one. This could be a very significant break in this case. June 27, 2000, I was a reporter at WBZ-TV in Boston. We received word that there was a teenager missing in Warren, Massachusetts. It was a lifeguard who was supposed to be working at this pond. -Do you remember coming here? -Yes. It started like every other missing-person case that I've ever worked.

-And about what time did Molly arrive here? -We believe sometime after 9:50. Molly went to work that day. It was her eighth day as a lifeguard at Comins Pond. She drove with her mom to work. She stopped at a XtraMart and purchased a bottle of water. She went to the police station, secured a police radio. Her mom and she then drove the short distance down to Comins Pond. -I was with Molly, and I dropped her off, and everything seemed fine. -And the rest is a mystery at this point. -And what was left behind? -Chair. Radio.

Her flip-flops. A bottle of water. It was all right there. -They said that she was dr-- -Possibly -She possibly drowned. Knowing that she probably didn't. But I ran into the water. -He did. He was trying to get to the deep end. -You're just going on adrenaline. And it's your baby sister. [ Dog barking ] -You saw, you know, fire boats coming in. You saw dive teams coming in. ♪♪ The state police helicopter was hovering from up above. They had cadets from the state police... -Take your time! -...doing grid searches all throughout the town, in the woods.

And they were stopping cars. -Was it an abduction? Did she drown? Did she walk away? -I was, like, frantic. My mom and I were frantic. And we were just staring into this pond like it'll resurrect her or it'll tell us what happened to her like it had the answers that we didn't have. -We had to sleep with not knowing where she was the first time in our life. -You were actually on this case from the very beginning. -Yes, my role was as the anthropologist, the archaeologist. They were coming to me and saying, "Dr. Mires.

We're not finding her. Where could she be?" They were focusing down around Comins Pond, and I said, "You need to branch out." ♪♪ -The months went by, the years went by, and then the decades went by. -So that's when I became a warrior. Ever since that day, I've been trying to find the person who took my sister. I'm asking you for help. I picked up that sword and I started marching on. To the man responsible for the abduction of my sister, Molly Bish, I want you to know I'm coming for you. I will never give up. Maybe we won't know why, but we at least deserve to know who.

I will use science. I will use technology. I will use my voice. I will not stop screaming from the mountaintops for justice for Molly. I'm coming for you. I'm coming. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Overlapping dialogue ] -Have you heard of Molly Bish? She looks like this. She was abducted in 2000. She was only 16 years old. -In 2021, two decades after her sister went missing, Heather Bish did something she never thought she would do. -40-year-old me got into the TikTok game. It's allowed me to, like, share my story and share Molly's story and really just be honest.

It's been 7,680 days since my sister disappeared, and I've been waiting for answers on what happened to her. -She hopes that by going public with her TikTok videos online, she will generate tips that will finally solve her sister's case and put an end to a painful 25-year-old mystery. -If you know something, please say something. The wait needs to be over. -The last time Heather Bish saw her little sister, Molly, was the morning of June 27, 2000, just before Molly left for her job as a lifeguard at Comins Pond in Warren, Massachusetts.

Molly was playing with Heather's 11-month-old daughter, Mikaela. -She was having fun with Mikaela, and I remember my mom saying, "Come on. We gotta go. We gotta go. You're gonna be late." -But shortly after Molly was dropped off, beachgoers arrived, and she wasn't there. Police were eventually called to the scene. By the time they told Magi Bish, Molly had been missing for three hours. -And my mom was frantic on the phone. She said, "She's not there. She's not there. Her shoes are there." My heart dropped. I just knew something was wrong because I knew Molly wouldn't go anywhere without her shoes on.

-Why? -Because she didn't like icky feet. -When you first heard that she was missing, did you think maybe she had... -No. -...gone out with friends? -No. -John Jr. is Molly Bish's brother. -It's not what we do. It's not our personality, our character. We were raised better than that. -16-year-old Molly was Magi and John Bish's third and youngest child. "48 Hours" interviewed John back in 2003. -She was heavily involved in school, with sports, with her friends. -Molly was an honor-roll student, varsity athlete, and she had just completed her junior year of high school.

-Molly was just very loud and fun. -Heather says despite their six-year age difference, they were extremely close. It was a bond she had had with Molly ever since the day she was born. -I do remember thinking that, "Oh, that baby is my baby, too. I'm gonna teach her everything I know. and, um, you know, we're gonna do this life together." -Molly also had a close relationship with her brother. -She very much wanted to be like my brother. -I took her underneath my wing. You know? I was a lifeguard before her. She wanted to be a lifeguard.

We played soccer together, baseball together. -Molly was 5'7". You know, she was athletic and in shape and strong. -So when police suggested that Molly could have drowned, they didn't believe it. -When Molly went missing, I mean, it was inconceivable. And then what I was told was the first-aid kit was open. -Adding to the mystery, the police radio was there, but Molly had not used it for her required morning check-in. -Why? So what was -- What happened? [ Chatter ] ♪♪ -Later that afternoon, when it became clear to local police that Molly had not just walked off with friends...

-The K-9 commences water search. -...state police took over the investigation and launched an extensive search. -We're looking for a 16-year-old. Name's Molly Anne Bish. She's the lifeguard up at the town beach. -Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant Colonel Dan Richard headed to Warren to help out. -I had a 3-year-old daughter. Her name was Molly. She had blond hair. She has blue eyes. This case has every day been with me from that day till today. -Also present at the scene was then Worcester District Attorney John Conte.

-The state police are working around the clock on this. Okay? -Detectives zeroed in on everyone who was close to Molly, including family members, friends, and Molly's boyfriend, Steven Lukas. They had only been dating for three months and had just gone to the prom together. -What raised some suspicion was that Steven Lukas had a fat lip and he had some scratches on him. -Former WBZ investigative reporter Kathy Curran. -Could a young kid pull off this crime in such a short amount of time? -The Bishes never believed that Steven was involved.

Within 24 hours, authorities were looking at known sex offenders in the area. -We've looked at 35 to 45 sex offenders in the area. -That's been the scariest part about all this, is realizing how many bad people were within the fabric of our community. -Molly's dad worked tirelessly with police. -He was always going every weekend, trying to work with the police and trying to find different ways to to find Molly. -And despite the fact that DNA testing was still in its early stages back in 2000, Detective Richard says they did collect and document many items found in and around the pond area, including discarded cigarettes and trash.

-When we did the initial search, anything that wasn't there by nature or by God was at least identified as potential evidence. [ Organ playing ] -As the days went by, the Bishes' despair grew. -It wasn't like Molly was hit by a car or got sick. She was just suddenly gone, and we didn't know where she was. -But it would be Magi Bish who would give detectives their biggest lead. -We pulled into the parking lot here. -The morning before Molly disappeared, as Magi went to drop Molly off at work at Comins Pond, she recalled seeing a man sitting alone in a white car that resembled this one.

-And I see this guy, and he's just smoking a cigarette, and he just gives me, like, a little look. And I said, "Oh, I can't leave her here." You know, it's like the mama bear comes out. -Magi says she waited for 20 minutes until he finally left. When she brought it up with Molly that evening, Molly didn't seem concerned. -She says, "Oh, no, Ma. It's just fishermen. Don't be -- I'm not afraid." -The next day, when Molly disappeared, Magi told the police about what she had seen. -That became very significant because now we had a piece of information.

-A sketch was composed based on Magi's description, and it was released to the public. -This is the individual that we're looking for in that white car. -I had seen the hair. It was gray. It was very thick. It's just that smoking, you know? That doggone smoke. And that's what I remembered. -Almost immediately, hundreds of tips started flooding in. -If you were a 50-year-old white male with a mustache and salt and pepper hair, somebody may have wanted to give us a call. [ Chatter ] -Many months later, authorities released a second, different sketch.

-I believe that this sketch is a remarkable sketch, and it's very distinctive, and I think it's gonna help us a great deal. -But still no Molly. -I think that's what makes this case so difficult. You know? You have so many people who resemble that sketch. ♪♪ -You know, when time kept going and passing, you knew it wasn't good. You just know that somebody either has her, and that's horrendous. -And then almost three years after Molly disappeared... -Live from Warren, Kathy Curran, WBZ-4 News. -...police were notified that a bathing suit had been found in the woods just five miles from Comins Pond.

-It's the first major break in this case in years and a very anxious time for Molly's parents. ♪♪ -Do you remember the very first time you came here? -Yes, I do. It was May of 2003. We came here for what we thought would be the recovery of Molly Bish. -Three years after Molly Bish disappeared, Dr. Ann Marie Mires, a forensic anthropologist for the Boston Medical Examiner's Office, was summoned by police to the area known as Whiskey Hill, located about 5 miles from Comins Pond. ♪♪ -This is how we came in at first. So, right above us here are these rock ledges, and this is where the bathing suit was found.

-A local hunter had stumbled upon pieces of a weather-beaten blue bathing suit much like the one that Molly Bish was wearing when she disappeared. -When I saw the bathing suit, I said, "This has probably been up here for roughly three years." -And how could you tell? -It was covered by deadfall, so leaves and debris, from three years of foliage dropping. But then it had also grown into the surface, and roots had come up through it. -I arrived with my photographer, and I was let in. -Acting on a tip, Kathy Curran and her crew got there in time to take pictures of the bathing suit.

What's going through your head? -I was sick to my stomach. Just thinking about Magi and John... ...and knowing what it could mean. -As Kathy left Whiskey Hill, she called Magi. -And she said, you know, "Could you show us the video?" And I said, "Magi, you know, I really don't want to do that, but, you know, if that's what you want to do, I want to do whatever I can to help." -She just had the little van, and it had the six little TVs or whatever inside, and she showed it to us. -So distinctive. ♪♪ It looks like hers.

♪♪ ♪♪ -And I knew. I knew that was Molly's bathing suit right then and there. -Let's go in the house. -Come on. -And I went up and I locked myself in the room. I cried so hard. There was nothing. I was gut-wrenched. -It was one of the toughest days of my career. ♪♪ Because, you know, for three years, there was still hope. And she knew at that moment that something was drastically wrong and something horrible had happened. -Investigators sent the bathing suit to the Massachusetts State Police lab and a private lab in Virginia for DNA testing.

-So now we've got to search the area and see if we can find evidence that can help us determine what happened up there. ♪♪ -As they waited for DNA results, under Dr. Mires' instruction... -You all know what we're looking for. -...a new search was launched. ♪♪ -And that's when I basically said, "We're going to grid this area." -Anyone who has compasses, we're working off 110. -110 magnetic. -We did grid searching arm-to-arm. They were within sight of each other. They raked. They combed the forest with rakes. -And had any of that area been searched before?

-No. -When John Bish arrived to the scene, Dr. Mires assured him of one thing. -You know, I looked him straight in the face and I shook his hand and I said, "Mr. Bish, if your daughter's remains are here, we're gonna bring her home to you." -D.A. John Conte announced that the DNA results came back as inconclusive. The search continued and intensified. ♪♪ -And it was the biggest search that's ever been conducted in Massachusetts history. -And almost two weeks later, they made an horrific discovery. -This afternoon, we did discover a human bone.

It's the upper arm bone. And Dr. Mires does describe it as the bone of a person between 14 and 20 years of age. -What did that feel like to finally find a bone? -Unbelievable. But immediately I thought of the family. -We've now established the area as a crime-scene area. -As days went by, investigators would come to find more human bones. -It was, like, every day, they came with small rib bones. It was, like, oh, agonizing. And, you know, they were trying to find Molly. And we went out every morning. We thanked the searchers.

We were so grateful that people continued to look and help us find Moll. -By the end of the three-week search, investigators found as many as 27 bones and a human skull spread across 35 acres of forest. It was confirmed through DNA testing and dental identification that the bones were Molly's. Dr. Mires believes that Molly's killer most likely picked Whiskey Hill because of its hidden location. Do you believe the killer might have been a hunter, being that familiar with the area? -It's possible. It's possible. -She also believes that after Molly was killed, a mountain lion may have scattered her remains among the 35 acres of forest.

-I often felt that the person knew the area and knew that there was a large animal up there. ♪♪ -We want to tell you that Molly's come home. We are extremely saddened. The depth of our sadness no family should have to endure. -With the discovery of her sister's remains, Heather had a hard time accepting the tragic news. -I wanted to run away. Honestly. I just wanted to run outside of this nightmare and this life and maybe my -- even my own body. But I remember feeling like I wanted to run away immensely. -The search for Molly Bish was now over...

but the search for her killer was never more urgent. ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Bells tolling ] [ Bagpipes playing ] ♪♪ -Two months after Molly Bish's bones were discovered in August of 2003, on what would have been her 20th birthday, Molly was laid to rest. ♪♪ -We commend you now to the loving care of the Lord of us all. -We were so blessed we got to have it in a church. ♪♪ [ Bells tolling ] -But after three years, the Bishes still had no answers as to who could have murdered Molly... and the man in the white car who Magi had seen the day before Molly disappeared had never been identified.

-"Frustrating" is a reoccurring word in this case. -Magi wasn't the only one who reported seeing a suspicious white car in the vicinity, say investigators. On the day that Molly went missing, a white car was spotted at a car wash right down the street from the pond and again in the cemetery behind the pond. So where is Comins Pond right from here? -It's that direction straight down, and you can see there's a path opening there. -Yes. So somebody saw a white car. Where? Right down on that road down there? -Down on that road. Yes.

-So, is the thought that if somebody brought the car down there, they could maybe grab her, pull her back up, get in the car before... -That's a theory. [ Children shouting ] -In fact, in the early days of the investigation, search dogs did follow Molly's scent from the pond leading up to the cemetery. -You don't just stumble upon Comins Pond. That's why the person who killed Molly Bish had to have watched her and they had to have had a plan. -But there were still so many unanswered questions, like, why was the first-aid kit left open?

Kathy Curran believes that Molly's abductor may have pretended to be injured. -And then someone either forced her or threatened her to get her up that hill. Because she's athletic. She's not going to go easily. -Then in May of 2004, four years after Molly disappeared, D.A. John Conte called for a grand jury to be convened. -Whenever you hear a grand jury in a criminal case, you think, oh, they have evidence against someone, so the hope was that the case was moving forward. -Heather, along with her family, were called to testify.

They say that many of the D.A.'s questions seem to be focused on Molly's friends. -I remember we were all kind of, like, mad because we didn't feel like they were really significant. -But detectives had learned that some of Molly's friends had gathered at her boyfriend, Steven Lukas', house the morning of Molly's disappearance. -We have a timeline. -And they were telling police conflicting stories about what happened in the hours before and after Molly went missing. The grand-jury transcripts are sealed, so it is not known whom the investigators actually questioned, but they would later clear Steven Lukas as a person of interest.

After two long years, in December of 2006, the grand jury was dismissed without an indictment. -It was disappointing. It was incredibly disappointing. -Just weeks after the grand jury was dismissed, John Conte retired... and Joe Early Jr. took over as Worcester District Attorney. He says the grand jury was used as an investigative tool to preserve witnesses' testimony. -You get them right in, you get them under oath, and there's a criminal penalty if they lie in the grand jury. And they can't say later, "I didn't say that," because it's right there.

And that is something that helps us get cases beyond a reasonable doubt and prove guilt. -But Heather says not having answers as to who murdered her sister was taking its toll. -I was giving up hope in a lot of areas. -And things only got worse. In 2007, her father, John Bish, who worked so closely with police, had a stroke. Heather would now face the daunting task to take over where her father had left off, and it would not be easy. -The police have always stayed very careful about what they'd let us know. -The police kept saying, "We're just one piece of information away."

Well, where is that piece? -In 2008, a man who resembled the sketch, named Rodney Stanger, was arrested for murdering his girlfriend in Florida. The victim's sister reached out to Heather and claimed that Stanger may have been involved in Molly's murder, as well. -He has this violent history. He lived very close to where Molly trained to be a lifeguard. -Was he a smoker? -He was also a smoker. He was known to fish at Comins Pond and hunt in the area where Molly was found. -Police were notified about this tip, but Heather says she was told that Stanger had been on one of the investigators' lists of persons of interest from the very beginning.

-I've actually visited him in prison. -Sean Murphy is a lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police. -He didn't have much to say to me, but I attempted. And so have other investigators, as well. -Stanger was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2012, state police went down to Florida again to search Stanger's trailer. -We did execute a search warrant at his residence with our law-enforcement partners, and we did take items. -Detective Murphy says the items were tested for DNA to see if they could be connected to Molly.

-We've tested and continue to test and move forward. -But there was not enough evidence to make him an official suspect. And then in 2011, a private investigator came to Heather with a new tip about a man named Gerald Battistoni. -He had actually raped a woman in the woods where Molly was found. His ex-wife had a white car that she reported he was driving in Warren the day Molly disappeared. -Heather says she took this tip to the state police, who have confirmed that Battistoni, who died in prison in 2014, was on their radar, along with many others.

-There are times you could say, "This person's really good for this. This person's really good for that." That's not how you solve a crime. You know? You have to have the evidence to support it. -Finally, in 2021, 21 years after Molly disappeared, it looked like investigators had enough evidence. The District Attorney's Office officially named a person of interest. -For the first time, I thought, "This is it. There will be justice."

-On June 3, 2021, more than two decades after Molly Bish disappeared, there was finally news. -Tonight, a break in the murder of Molly Bish. More than 20 years after the teenager was killed, investigators have named a new person of interest. Molly... -We named the person of interest. -But you had never done that before. -Never done that. Never done that in this case. But we did get more information to come in, we pursued those leads, and at that point, I was comfortable saying, "This person is a person of interest, yes."

-Francis "Frank" Sumner Sr. was a local auto-repair shop owner with an extensive criminal record. Kathy Curran was the first to report the details. -Frank Sumner seemed like a great suspect. Frank Sumner has a violent past. He was convicted of rape and kidnapping. -Was he familiar with the area? -He was -- He was familiar with the area. He was from the area. He had access to a white car. And when you compare the photo of him smoking the cigarette to the sketch, you can see a resemblance there. -And just like the sketch, Sumner was photographed smoking with his left hand.

D.A. Joe Early says Sumner, who died in 2016, had been well known to investigators working the Bish case for years. What made Frank Sumner rise to that top, to actually be called a suspect? -Information that came in, some dots that were connected. -Although tight-lipped about the details, the Worcester D.A.'s Office was confident that Sumner was a viable suspect and planned to compare his DNA to DNA found at the crime scenes. But as it turned out, they couldn't obtain Sumner's DNA. Sumner had been cremated, and his DNA had never been submitted to the national CODIS database.

-I don't know who dropped the ball, but somebody dropped the ball. -So authorities traveled to Ohio to get DNA from his son, Frank Sumner Jr. He was serving time in prison for robbery. -And so we waited and we waited. Because they said, "We're going to, you know, do some DNA analysis." -Heather, who had started that TikTok months earlier, reached out to her followers to see if she could drum up more evidence. -If you know something, if you heard something, please call the state-police tip line. We are still waiting for answers.

-Heather says it took investigators about a year before they finally told her the results of the DNA testing. -It was inconclusive. -What do you mean, inconclusive? Was he eliminated from the DNA? -I don't know what that means. -Oh, you don't -- -And they won't tell me. -Heather wonders if authorities who collected discarded cigarettes and other evidence at Comins Pond even have a viable sample of the killer's DNA. Do you have enough DNA that you could do genetic genealogy? And have you done any -- -I can't speak to the DNA.

I can speak in<i> this</i> regard. We continue to test, and we've gotten well over 100 pieces of information tested, and we continue to test. -You know that the Bishes have been frustrated. They don't feel they're getting enough information from your office. They want to know, is the DNA being preserved properly? What kind of DNA? -As a general rule of thumb, no matter what family it is -- the Bishes, other families that we have -- we just don't share the information because someone might say something they shouldn't say and it can compromise the entire case.

-However, he says DNA is just one piece of the puzzle. -This isn't just a DNA case. There's a lot of investigation that's been done. We need a little bit more. I'm not going to say what it is, but we need a little bit more to get to where we need to get to name a person as a defendant in this case. -But Heather says she's losing faith in the investigators. -It's really a sad situation to be a victim family member in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. -Investigator Sean Murphy says he understands Heather's frustration.

-Heather is a fierce advocate for her sister and her family, and I wouldn't have it any other way, and I have no problem being held accountable by Heather, and I'm happy that she holds me accountable. -25 years after Molly Bish's murder, the case remains active, and there is a new detective who has recently joined the investigation. She has a plan. -When I dedicate myself to something, I do not stop until it's accomplished.

♪♪ -In March of 2025, Detective Chelsea Safford was hired... [ Beep ] ...to take over the Bish investigation. ♪♪ -It's a perfect job for someone that has an overactive mind, thrives on challenges, and doesn't sleep much. -One of her first tasks has been to weed through and organize over 80 boxes of case files that have accumulated over the years. -I saw all those boxes, and I just wanted to dive in. I just wanted to learn more. -Detective Safford believes the answer to who killed Molly may just lie within these 80 boxes.

-This one. I found Molly's high-school yearbook, and I went through that. You know, I have a few tips that I was trying to track down. -It's part of her strategy... -These are all tips. -...to organize and look at past tips with fresh eyes. -Who else might have heard or seen something that they didn't realize was significant? That one person that we haven't spoken to, they might be the missing piece that we've been searching for this entire time. I believe that that one more piece is out there. I just have to keep digging.

-And Detective Safford faces an overwhelming task. She says there has been almost 8,000 tips that have come in since Molly went missing, and they<i> keep</i> coming. -I can honestly say that since I've been in this office, I don't think a week has gone by where we haven't received a Molly Bish tip, if not multiple, throughout the weeks. -Detective Safford says she's also studying the many pieces of evidence involved in Molly's case. She allowed "48 Hours" to accompany her to the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab's DNA cold-storage facility in Sudbury, Massachusetts.

Boy, it's shivery in here! Sherri Mittelholzer is a forensic support section manager at the crime lab. And what am I looking at right in front of me? -So this is a bay, um, full of evidence and all of these items here go with the Molly Bish case. -Inside some of these brown paper bags are items taken from the crime scenes. Is the swimsuit here? -It is. Um -- Oh, it's this one, I believe. I don't think it says it on it, but I know it was sent out for additional testing. -Are there any cigarettes here or any...? -There definitely are cigarettes.

-Containers A-B-C. There are a lot of them in A-B-C. -A-B-C is this one here. They've been repackaged over time. -Have they been tested? -Oh yeah. -Chelsea, are you going to be looking at this to see if there's something else? You're thinking, "Why don't we try to test that?" -Absolutely. Yeah. -Today Detective Safford has her eye on one piece of evidence in particular -- Molly's backpack. -I'll tell you, this is the number-one item that I've been looking for. -Why? -I think what we carry in our backpack or our pocketbook, I think it says a lot, and I -- I personally think learning about the person, the victim, I think, is a very important part of each case.

♪♪ -Despite the challenges, Detective Safford says she is determined to find answers for the Bish family. -None of us can bring Molly back, but the best thing I can do is find out what happened. -I see you have some of these. "Solved." "Guilty." "Captured." Is that what you want to do in this case? -It's not what I<i> want</i> to do. It's what I'm<i> going to</i> do. Yes. "We." We will do it. -Heather Bish, who has been critical of the Massachusetts State Police investigation in the past, says she is encouraged by Detective Safford's passion.

-I feel like she has the same energy and commitment to solving this as I do. -Heather still makes TikTok videos about Molly's case, hoping her efforts will one day generate a tip that can help investigators. -Somebody knows something and somebody knows who killed Molly Bish. I will never give up. I'll fight. Mollie deserves that justice. -D.A. Joe Early Jr. Insists that investigators are moving in the right direction. As you sit here, is Frank Sumner still on the top of the list of people of interest? -He's the<i> only</i> person of interest we've named, the only person of interest that's been named in this case, yes.

-On June 27, 2025, the Bish family gathered with friends and family to remember Molly 25 years after her death... -♪ Rest eternal ♪ ♪ Grant unto her, O Lord ♪ -...first at the cemetery... -♪ Let light perpetual shine upon her ♪ -...and then at a more formal ceremony in the center of Warren. -I feel her beside me. Because of Molly, I have become braver than I ever thought possible. I have faced my deepest fears. I have endured unimaginable heartbreak. I have survived. -I believe Molly's love and light have guided us through these 25 years, so today we share our family's gratitude.

And because of Molly, we have conquered what evil could not, for love is much stronger. [ Bagpipes playing ] ♪♪ -The evening ended with a gathering at Comins Pond. -I don't want people to ever forget Molly. ♪♪ And we will never stop honoring her. ♪♪

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode"?

Heather Bish (Guest), Kathy Curran (Guest), Ann Marie Mires (Guest), Magi Bish (Guest), John Bish Jr. (Guest), Dan Richard (Guest), John Conte (Guest), Joe Early Jr. (Guest).

What is "Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode" about?

The disappearance of Molly Bish, a teenager and lifeguard in Massachusetts, remains a haunting mystery nearly 21 years later. The case details the frantic search efforts the day she vanished, including the discovery of her belongings left at the pond, and raises critical questions about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance—whether it was accidental, an abduction, or something else…

What is mentioned in this 48 Hours episode?

37 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Molly Bish, Comins Pond, Massachusetts State Police, Kathy Curran, John Conte, Person of interest. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Help Find Molly Bish's Killer | Full Episode"?

The episode runs 42 min; the transcript is about 5,507 words in 55 timestamped sections.

More from 48 Hours

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 18, 2025.