Remains identified as those of teen lifeguard

WARREN, Mass. -- Teeth and bones found in the woods of central Massachusetts were identified Monday as those of a teenage lifeguard who disappeared nearly three years ago.

DNA from an arm bone unearthed June 3 was used to identify the remains of 16-year-old Molly Bish, prosecutor John Conte said. The identification was also confirmed by matching teeth, also found last week, with Bish's dental records.

Bish disappeared June 27, 2000, as she was preparing for her morning lifeguard duty at Comins Pond in Warren, about 70 miles west of Boston. When swimmers arrived at the beach, only her lunch, water bottle, radio and sandals were there. Her first-aid kit was open.

The search for Bish intensified after a hunter stepped forward recently to say he'd found a bathing suit deep in nearby woods resembling the one Bish was wearing when she disappeared.

Besides the arm bone and teeth, searchers uncovered part of a thigh bone and vertebrae.

In the days immediately after Bish disappeared, hundreds of searchers on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles combed the area around the pond. Dozens of divers repeatedly searched the water.

Her disappearance was featured on the television shows "Unsolved Mysteries" and "America's Most Wanted."

Those who knew Bish, a popular athlete heading into her senior year, said she wasn't the type to run away. Her disappearance stunned Warren's 4,550 residents, afraid the only explanation could be abduction.

Dozens of people have been interviewed and rewards of up to $100,000 have been offered, but there were no breaks in the case until the discovery of the blue swimsuit.