The Trail Went Cold - Episode 465 - Holly Piirainen

September 24, 1963. Opa-locka, Florida. 29-year old pilot Geoffrey Sullivan takes off in a twin-engine Beechcraft Travel Air plane from Opa-locka Airport and is accompanied by 37-year old freelance journalist Alex Rorke, as well as a passenger believed to be a Cuban exile named Enrique Molina Garcia. Over the next several hours, Sullivan flies through the Caribbean and changes his flight plan several times, but after stopping to refuel on the island of Cozumel, the plane and its passengers vanish without a trace. Since Sullivan and Rorke were heavily involved in anti-communist missions against Fidel Castro, it is rumoured that they may have been captured and held prisoner in Cuba for years. Even though Sullivan’s daughter eventually files a wrongful death lawsuit against the Cuban government, she receives no conclusive answers about what happened. On this week’s episode, we explore a Cold War era mystery about a missing aircraft and two American men. Additional Reading: https://unsolved.com/gallery/geoffrey-sullivan/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Geoffrey_Sullivan https://www.newspapers.com/image/664216557/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/938207406/ https://www.nytimes.com/1964/02/11/archives/25000-offered-for-lost-fliers-2-us-men-and-passenger-vanished-over.html https://www.newspapers.com/image/664065457 https://latinamericanstudies.org/belligerence/sherry-sullivan.htm https://www.newspapers.com/image/850157644/ https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19946668#.XafOjehKhPY https://www.click2houston.com/news/2012/01/16/a-daughters-mission/ https://www.bangordailynews.com/2012/04/22/news/waldo-county-woman-suing-cuba-for-nonpayment-of-21-million-wrongful-death-suit/ https://www.bangordailynews.com/2016/07/21/news/maine-woman-seeking-closure-for-dad-she-believes-was-shot-down-over-cuba/ https://fox23maine.com/news/local/after-a-30-year-search-will-new-relations-with-cuba-help-mainer-find-her-missing-father https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-med-1_16-cv-00310/pdf/USCOURTS-med-1_16-cv-00310-0.pdf https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-1st-circuit/1934306.html “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.  

June 27, 2000. Warren, Massachusetts. After showing up at Comins Pond to work her shift as a lifeguard, 16-year old Molly Bish vanishes without a trace and leaves all of her personal belongings behind on the beach. The previous day, Molly’s mother had dropped her off and noticed a suspicious-looking man inside a white car in the beach’s parking lot and numerous witnesses report seeing a white car in the area on the morning of Molly’s disappearance. Nearly three years later, Molly’s remains are discovered in a wooded area five miles from Comins Pond and it is believed that she was the victim of an abduction and a homicide. Over the years, a number of different individuals are looked at as persons of interest, but there is not enough conclusive evidence to implicate any of them, so the crime remains unsolved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the disappearance and murder of Molly Bish, as well as its potential connections to the case featured on last week’s episode: the 1993 murder of ten-year old Holly Piirainen. Special thanks to listener Meghan Cotter for narrating the opening of this episode. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Molly_Bish https://unsolved.com/gallery/molly-bish/ https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Molly_Bish https://www.masslive.com/news/2011/11/gerald_battistoni_man_eyed_in.html https://www.boston25news.com/news/molly-bish-rodney-stanger-may-have-crossed-paths-1/141310989/ https://www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2014/11/13/rapist-s-death-may-shed/35943050007/ https://www.wcvb.com/article/person-of-interest-in-bish-case-denies-involvement/10030222 https://www.wcvb.com/article/molly-bish-murder-person-of-interest-named-warren-massachusetts/36622524 https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/frank-sumner-molly-bish-criminal-history-murder/ https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2021/07/molly-bish-murder-case-francis-sumner-sr-new-person-of-interest-remembered-as-hot-headed-as-dozens-of-new-calls-come-in-to-tip-line.html https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2021/12/02/molly-bish-case-investigators-go-ohio-collect-dna-son-person-interest/8843156002/ https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/dna-in-molly-bish-case-isnt-a-match-sister-says-its-disappointing/2775879/ https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/molly-bish-case-remains-unsolved-25-years-later/3753477/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/molly-bish-massachusetts-unsolved-murder-48-hours/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

August 5, 1993. Sturbridge, Massachusetts. After leaving her grandparents’ cottage to view some puppies at a neighbour’s farm, ten-year old Holly Piirainen disappears and one of her shoes is found next to the road. Over two months later, Holly’s skeletal remains are discovered in a wooded area five miles away and it is believed that she was the victim of an abduction and a homicide. Over the years, investigators look at a number of different persons of interest, including a man in a pick-up truck who was supposedly seen in the area right before Holly went missing. They also explore the possibility that the case might be connected to the 2000 disappearance and murder of 16-year old Molly Bish, which took place in the nearby town of Warren, but neither crime is ever solved. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the tragic abduction and murder of Holly Piirainen. if you have any information about this case, please call a tip line which has been set up at (413) 426-3507. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Holly_Piirainen https://www.helpholly.com/ "Holly's Been Taken" Podcast https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Holly_Piirainen https://www.newspapers.com/image/440696102/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/440696439/ https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/01/investigators_want_information.html https://www.ibtimes.com/holly-piirainen-case-david-pouliot-linked-death-missing-girl-1993-390282 https://www.masslive.com/springfield/2019/08/massachusetts-unsolved-murder-26-years-after-holly-piirainens-disappearance-and-killing-family-renews-plea-for-help-to-solve-case.html https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/source-body-exhumed-mass-connection-with-unsolved-disappearance-murder-holly-piirainen/2YVQ7VMJPFAIDG44SX53LJZ2HA/ https://www.wcvb.com/article/body-exhumed-in-connection-with-27-year-old-unsolved-murder-of-holly-piirainen/34242332 https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/holly-piirainen-murder-evidence-white-tank-top-boston-shirt-sturbridge-brimfield-massachusetts-1993-cold-case/ https://www.telegram.com/story/news/crime/2023/05/21/family-of-abducted-teen-holly-piirainen-appear-in-podcast/70209627007/?gca-cat=p&gnt-cfr=1 https://www.telegram.com/story/news/2025/03/04/mother-of-holly-piirainen-who-sought-closure-for-decades-has-died/81341781007/?tbref=hp https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/32-years-after-holly-piirainens-murder-family-holds-hope-da-creates-new-dna-drive-answers/ITCMLOT5FVADNGTGD2WGVUKM4I/ https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/holly-piirainen-cold-case-brimfield-genealogy/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

May 6, 2014. Putnam County, Georgia. After he is not heard from for over four days, the beheaded body of 88-year old Russell Dermond is discovered inside his garage and his 87-year old wife, Shirley Dermond, is missing. Ten days later, Shirley’s body is discovered five miles away in Lake Oconee after she was weighed down in the water with some cinder blocks. Her cause of death is determined to blunt force trauma, but Russell’s head is never recovered. Investigators are unable to uncover any strong suspects and there is nothing in the Dermonds’ background to indicate why they would be the victims of such a brutal crime. In recent years, traces of unidentified touch DNA has been found on Russell’s clothing, but the murders continue to remain unsolved. For our first episode of 2026, “The Trail Went Cold” explores the unsolved double homicide of an elderly couple, which is considered to be one of the most baffling cold cases of the modern era. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killings_of_Russell_and_Shirley_Dermond https://www.macon.com/news/local/crime/article228972684.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/autopsy-elderly-georgia-man-dead-when-head-was-cut-off/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-have-person-of-interest-in-murder-of-georgia-elderly-couple/ https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/beheading-mystery-upscale-community-still-confounds-georgia-sheriff/FfLXS5am2RgITlUbahtphO/ https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/investigations/gone-cold-the-murders-at-lake-oconee-4-years-later-elderly-couples-son-opens-up/67-549362307 https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/5-years-later-murders-of-lake-oconee-couple-continue-to-confound/946649166/ https://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/years-later-murders-lake-oconee-couple-continue-confound/TozzJXuLvXXbu8f7zbWcPL/ https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/gone-cold/gone-cold-the-murders-at-lake-oconee-4-years-later-elderly-couples-son-opens-up/85-548449019 https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/lake-oconee-beheading-mystery-russell-shirley-dermond-putnam-county https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/community/more-than-a-number/sheriff-private-lab-finds-dna-in-dermond-murders-9-year-old-cold-case-3/93-007e80f5-99d4-4e50-adb0-5fabeaa17380 https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/cold-cases/fbi-new-leads-cellphone-data-dna-evidence-brutal-killings-elderly-georgia-couple-lake-oconee/85-9de921b0-385c-4305-9ebe-615ab3031eb4 https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2025/03/01/georgia-sheriff-expecting-dna-results-2014-double-murder-atlvault/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

“Below the Surface” is a true crime podcast covering a variety of strange and bizarre cases with one common theme; a water connection. The show features both solved and unsolved cases, some of which are well known, while others have received little attention. In this special preview of Episode 1, we explore the puzzling case of journalist Kim Wall who was best known for her articles in the Guardian, New York Times, and Vice. She disappeared in a submarine beneath the Oresund Strait after interviewing inventor Peter Madsen on August 10, 2017. We can only speculate on what exactly happened below the surface, but upon the submarine’s resurface, Kim was missing, but Peter Madsen was not.  Below the Surface is hosted by Olivia McKenzie (co-host of True Crime Society). It's produced by Mike Morford of AbJack Entertainment (co-host of Criminology). Research and writing by Abagail Belcastro (Campus Killings).   You can find Below the Surface on your favourite social media outlets.

Since “The Trail Went Cold” originally launched in February 2016, we have featured over 500 cold cases on the podcast, a number of which have wound up being solved or  experienced major developments. As a result, we have now released a total of seven special “update” episodes. In this particular episode, we’ll share a number of major updates which occurred in 2025, such as a resolution in the 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders, Tommy Zeigler’s most recent attempts to overturn his conviction for the 1975 Winter Garden Furniture Store Murders, the potential discovery of three missing victims from the 1958 Martin Family Disappearance, and the identification of a 1971 murder victim formerly known as “Little Miss Panasoffkee”. These are just some of the cases we’ll be discussing on our most recent “update” episode of “The Trail Went Cold”. Here are the links to our six previous “update” episodes:  https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-155-update/  https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-257-update-part-2/  https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-310-update-part-3/  https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-359-update-part-4/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-369-update-part-5/ https://trailwentcold.podbean.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-412-update-part-6/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

For the month of December, True Crime creators are getting together for a series titled “True Crime Convos” in which we have conversations about podcasting, true crime, and the nexus between the two. We discuss creating our shows, behind-the-scenes moments, fears and hopes, the cases that have gripped us, and more. In this episode, I will be joined by Nina Innsted from “Already Gone” and John from “Sins & Survivors”, as we discuss how we got into podcasting, our passion projects, what we have in store for 2026, our favourite holiday traditions, and also things you might not know about us! Enjoy this conversation and be sure to check out the rest of the “True Crime Convos” series: • Jessie (Love Murder), Bob (Buried), Joshua (Somewhere in the Pines) • Javier (Pretend), Kristen (Murder, She Told), Shaun (Sins & Survivors) • Patrick (True Crime Obsessed), Josh (True Crime Bullshit), Eric (True Consequences) • Gillian (True Crime Obsessed), Alvin (Affirmative Murder), Lanie (True Crime Cases with Lanie) • Aaron (Generation Why), Lucy (Wine & Crime), Kristen (Murder, She Told) • Amanda (Wine & Crime), Josh (True Crime Bullshit), Andie (Love Murder), Charlie (Crimelines) The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

Christmas Eve 1963. Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 34-year old Lucille Rinaldi, who happens to be five months pregnant, is bludgeoned and suffocated to death inside an apartment belonging to her husband, Frank Rinaldi. Even though Frank was supposedly out Christmas shopping when the crime took place, he is charged and convicted of Lucille’s murder after investigators learn that Frank took out a life insurance policy on his wife and there are also allegations surface that he was a closeted gay man. However, after the Supreme Court of North Carolina rules that the jury was unfairly prejudiced at Frank’s trial, his conviction is overturned and he is acquitted at his retrial. Was Lucille Rinaldi actually murdered by her husband or did the real killer manage to get away with it? On this week’s holiday-themed episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a controversial and sensationalist Christmas Eve murder case. Join us on Saturday, December 20 at 8:00pm ET for an online streaming marathon where we will be watching classic segments from “Unsolved Mysteries”. You can enter our screening room by clicking on this link. Additional Reading: "Time of Death: The True Tale of a Quest for Justice in 1960s Chapel Hill" by Nora Gaskin https://www.newspapers.com/image/652430172/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/939529735/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/791770654/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/1026944384/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/463569154/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/463569188/ https://indyweek.com/news/archives-news/cautionary-tale-d-a-jim-hardin/ “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

January 18, 2001. Miami, Florida. Geralyn Graham, the foster mother of four-year old Rilya Wilson, claims that a female caseworker from the Florida Department of Children and Families took Rilya from her residence for a medical evaluation, but never returned. Rilya is not officially reported missing until 15 months later, but the authorities become convinced that Geralyn fabricated her story and is personally responsible for Rilya’s disappearance. Geralyn is eventually charged with numerous crimes and receives a lengthy prison sentence after she is convicted of kidnapping and child abuse at her trial. Since the jury is unable to convict Geralyn of murder and Rilya’s remains are never found, there are a lot of unanswered questions about what actually happened. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore a heartbreaking and controversial missing children’s case which came about as the result of a major scandal within Florida’s foster care system. Special thanks to listener Jaclyn Collins for narrating the opening of this episode. If you have any information about this case, please contact the Miami-Dade County Police Department at (305) 418-7302. Additional Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Rilya_Wilson https://charleyproject.org/case/rilya-shenise-wilson https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/652361189/ https://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/08/18/fla.missing.girl/index.html https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7210798 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/proving-murder-in-case-of-missing-girl/ https://www.tampabay.com/incoming/informer-testifies-caretaker-confessed-to-killing-rilya-wilson/1266933/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/25/woman-convicted-missing-girl/1865543/ https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/geralyn-graham-faces-sentencing-in-rilya-wilson-case/2015825/ https://www.nytimes.com/topic/person/rilya-wilson “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.

January 31, 1985. West Seneca, New York. 21-year old Leichia Reilly spends the night hanging out at a nightclub called the Pierce Arrow, but she never returns home and vanishes without a trace. Numerous witnesses recall having seen Leichia leaving the club during the early morning hours with an off-duty state trooper named Daniel Rose, but he denies this and stops cooperating with the investigation. Even though Rose is soon fired by the New York State Police and there appear to be some holes in his story, there is no evidence to implicate him in Leichia’s disappearance and she is never found. On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the controversial disappearance of Leichia Reilly, which has gone unsolved for more than 40 years. In addition, we will also discuss the unsolved 1982 murder of James Adamski, who went missing during the early morning hours of Halloween after leaving a bar in the nearby village of Depew before he was found in a shallow grave in a wooded area just under two months later. Additional Reading: https://charleyproject.org/case/leichia-m-reilly https://www.newspapers.com/image/875577695/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/875582162/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/875637060/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/875577847/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/875673768/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/874757072/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/877043776/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/875897927/ https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/cold-case-crime-west-seneca-missing-person-wny/71-ad11d332-e29e-44b4-a933-90d8c33edebe https://buffalonews.com/news/local/article_b226ae35-9eb5-5afa-8c9d-64ed07491fc5.html https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/investigations/2-investigates/cold-case-leichia-reilly-disappeared-1985/71-a0527b9d-fda9-4ae4-817b-9ceb49af06e0 https://www.wivb.com/news/36-year-old-cold-case-still-haunts-lancaster-cheektowaga/ https://www.wkbw.com/news/who-killed-james-adamski https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/unsolved-37-years-later-investigators-still-search-for-clues-in-lancaster-murder/71-ba70ad6f-195d-4bf6-b3bd-e47f3cd94590 “The Trail Went Cold” is on Patreon. Visit www.patreon.com/thetrailwentcold to become a patron and gain access to our exclusive bonus content. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.