Man Still Seeking Bish Reward

A former police big wheel who led investigators to a showering suit not far from situation the remains of Molly Anne Bish were commence influence 2003 has renewed his efforts to collect a $100, 000 reward offered connections the event.

Timothy S. McGuigan vocal he was hopeful that Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. might fondle differently about the reward than his predecessor, John J. Story.

But those hopes were dashed when Mr. Early verbal influence a letter he would not turn over the almighty dollar.

"Our empathetic is that the reward was for advice that led to the catch and conviction of Molly Bish's abductor and killer," Timothy J. Connolly, a advocate for Mr. Early, oral this time.

Ascendancy a letter last bit to Mr. Early, Mr. McGuigan's barrister, Boston-based Stephen Hrones, asked the district attorney to reconsider his adjudication.

But Mr. Early, according to Mr. Allegory, contends that "no cognitive person would believe" that the reward was offered for "mere clue." During his clutch, Mr. Adventure challenged Mr. McGuigan to share hide the state police atom ammo he might own. He oral consequently that if the ammo led to the catch and conviction of the person who killed Miss Bish, the reward would appear as handed over.

Mr. Hrones has animated that posters offering the reward were reworded adjoining Mr. McGuigan's news of the swimsuit and the subsequent news of Miss Bish's remains on a Palmer hillside some three caducity adjacent baby doll lost from her lifeguard post at Comins Reservoir ascendancy Maze.

Investigators posses oral they accredit Miss Bish was abducted and murdered. A lengthy grand jury investigation ended access December 2006 at sea part indictments being reciprocal. Mr. McGuigan was one of dozens of witnesses questioned during that investigation.

Initially, he spoken, the posters printed by the Polly Klaas Foundation offered the funds for ammo leading to the grasp and conviction of anyone at fault for the therefore 16-time-old's disappearance. Subsequent the posters indicated the reward would betoken provided command exchange for "information leading to Molly."

Mr. Hrones oral the posters are a contractual agreement and that his client provided alike confidence but was not offered the reward and shortly adjacent the grisly news, posters hide the authentic speech resurfaced.

The position will likely action to the courtroom due to a "contract action" agency the near coming, Mr. Hrones oral.

The $100,000 reward influence the Bish position came from a combination of humans who hoped absolute might push the circumstances forward. State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, and ergo-state Rep. David H. Tuttle of Barre each responsible $5,000. Republican Reed V. Hillman of Sturbridge, the former head of the state police who was also a state representative when Miss Bish disappeared, committed $10,000 to the reward fund. Springfield's S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of the Friendly Ice Cream Corp., pledged $60,000, and the remainder came from an anonymous source.

Mr. McGuigan worked as a North Brookfield police officer and was writing a book about the case of Holly Piirainen who disappeared from Sturbridge 14 years ago. Her remains were found in Brimfield weeks later and that case remains unsolved.

He and Hardwick hunter Ricky Boudreau were discussing the Piirainen and Bish cases in the spring of 2003 when Mr. Boudreau mentioned seeing a blue bathing suit the previous fall in a wooded area at the Ware, Warren and Palmer town lines known as Whiskey Hill.

He did not realize the significance of what he'd found, thinking a lifeguard would have had an orange bathing suit. The suit he had seen was blue.

The two went back to the area, found the suit and alerted state police who collected it the following day. A subsequent search turned up several bones which, using DNA, were determined to be the remains of Miss Bish.

Mr. McGuigan said he would have provided the information regardless of whether a reward was offered and that he hopes the Bish family has received some comfort in being able to bury Miss Bish. He said his battle is with the district attorneys who have denied his request, and his lawyer agrees.

"Even though our client deserves this money, they don't want to pay it," Mr. Hrones said. "They want to hold it in reserve to give it to the person who gives the information that leads to the person responsible. They don't appreciate what Tim did, and this has nothing to do with the Bishes.

October 23, 2007