Dead Spfld man matched with evidence in Piirainen case

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Forensic evidence collected in the investigation into the disappearance and murder of 10 year-old Holly Piirainen has been matched to a now-dead Springfield man.

Based on testing of evidence in the case, a match was made to David Edmund Pouliot of Springfield, who died in 2003.

The Grafton girl was last seen alive on August 5, 1993 near her grandmother’s vacation house in Sturbridge. Piirainen had been out walking to see a new litter of puppies near Allen and South Shore Roads, but  she never returned. Her body was found October 23, 1993 by a group of hunters in a remote area off Five Bridge Road in Brimfield, which is about eight miles west of where she disappeared.

District Attorney Mark Mastroianni says Pouliot (b. Jan. 4, 1954) was familiar with area where Holly disappeared, and the area where her remains were found. He says Pouliot was an outdoorsman who had hunted in the area several times.

According to Mastroianni, Pouliot is being called a "link" but is not being considered a suspect in the case at this time. They will not reveal what piece of evidence was matched to Pouliot, or where the item was found. Though he is not a suspect, Mastroianni says that this is a "turning point" in the investigation, and that Pouliot's identification will hopefully help the investigation by allowing people who knew him to come forward. They want to have information such as what vehicles he may have driven and who his friends are.

Pouliot has no history of sex crimes, though he was arrested in the past. The DA would not reveal what Pouliot was ever arrested for.

Members of Piirainen’s family were present during Tuesday morning’s news conference at the Hampden County Hall of Justice. Her grandmother, Maureen Lemieux, said she is full of gratitude for all the work that his been devoted to this still-open case. "My thanks are endless, they've worked tirelessly for 15 years and we appreciate the work they've done,” she said.

In the past year, investigators had stepped-up their efforts to find Piirainen’s killer , even teaming-up with media company Clear Channel to put up a digital billboard to encourage people to come forward with information.

Mastroianni had ordered a new analysis of the evidence collected in the Piirainen case in late spring of 2011.

Still, in more than 18 years, there have been a lot of leads in the case which had failed to yield a suspect," It's like a rollercoaster ride," Lemieux said. "She was a loveable little girl and we miss her. I'm 18 years older than I was then, and I'd like to see some result in my lifetime."

If you have any information, you are urged to call (413) 505-5933 or text "crimes" to 274637.

Often linked with the Piirainen case is the disappearance and murder of 17 year-old lifeguard Molly Bish . Bish disappeared from her lifeguard post in neighboring Warren back in 2000. Mastroianni said that there is nothing connecting Pouliot to the Bish case.