Monday marks 22nd anniversary of disappearance of Molly Bish

WARREN, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - It is an agony Heather Bish hopes no family has to endure.

Monday marked 22 years since Heather’s sister, Molly, disappeared from her lifeguard post at Comins Pond and was never seen again. Her remains were found years later, however her murder remains unsolved.

Heather spoke to Western Mass News about her hopes that DNA connected to the only person of interest named in the case may help find her sister’s killer.

“We are looking for this DNA evidence to come through, and it has been very trying and excruciating to wait for,” Heather told us. “We have been waiting for almost a year now to find out more about Frank Sumner.”

In June 2021, the Worcester District Attorney’s Office named Francis Sumner Sr., who lived in central Massachusetts for 50 years and was owner of an auto repair shop in the Worcester area, as a person of interest in the disappearance and death of Molly Bish. He died in 2016.

Sumner served lengthy time in prison for aggravated rape, kidnapping, and a series of other crimes.

The Bish family confirmed that DNA was obtained from Sumner’s son in Ohio, as Sumner Sr.’s DNA was never put into the national DNA database.

“The waiting has become more difficult as we are waiting on our own crime lab and an outside lab to come through with this info about Frank and his relation to Molly’s abduction,” Heather told us. “I know our crime labs have been understaffed and we have had a rape kit backlog.”

Molly disappeared within minutes from her lifeguard post on June 27, 2000, at Comins Pond In Warren. Her remains were found three years later in a wooded area near Palmer.

Heather said Sumner was fixing a white car at the time, and a white car was spotted by Molly Bish’s mother the day of her disappearance.

The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office told Western Mass News:

“We have named a person of interest in the past and they remain person of interest at this time. We still continue to aggressively work on this matter.”

Heather acknowledged that it has been tough.

“Half of my life, I have spent looking for a murderer, and that can be really trying on a person,” she said. “It is very difficult to have an unresolved murder in your family. It fractures your entire family.”

As for what she wants people to remember about Molly:

“Molly loved people and loved life and wanted everyone to be happy and happy together. If you think about Molly, hug your best friend or your mom. That would mean so much. That is what Molly would want.”

Anyone with information on the disappearance and death of Molly Bish can reach out to an anonymous tip line. That number is 508-453-7575.

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