The Trail Went Cold

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.