It had been a hot summer day, and little Holly Ann had gone swimming earlier. She loved the water, and as evening approached, she still had her bathing suit on. She was born in Staten Island, New York, the daughter of Peter Hughes and Holly Cederholm. On Staten Island, they lived in Port Richmond where her father was a dockworker. Holly was a blue-eyed daddy's girl, who knew all the words to Billy Joel's song, "My Life," and loved going out for pizza. Like most seven-year-olds, she also loved to help her mom. As bedtime approached, her mother asked her to run to the nearby deli to purchase a bar of soap, probably for her bath that night. She happily put her blue shorts on over her bathing suit, slipped on her shoes, and went to the deli. She was last seen at the deli, talking to a man who was visiting in town, and staying with his aunt. Holly was never seen again. An investigation of the man followed but was dropped due to a lack of evidence, even though there were several witnesses to Holly Ann's abduction, and he admitted to playing a hide-and-go-seek game with her at the deli on the evening of her disappearance. Then in 2001, some twenty years later, that man, Andre Rand, by then a convicted murderer and serial child sex offender, was finally charged and convicted of kidnapping Holly Ann. He is currently serving multiple life sentences in prison. Sadly, little Holly Ann's body has never been found, and this is her only place of remembrance.
Many thanks to The Lady in Black for sponsoring Holly Ann's memorial!
Many thanks to The Lady in Black for sponsoring Holly Ann's memorial!
It had been a hot summer day, and little Holly Ann had gone swimming earlier. She loved the water, and as evening approached, she still had her bathing suit on. She was born in Staten Island, New York, the daughter of Peter Hughes and Holly Cederholm. On Staten Island, they lived in Port Richmond where her father was a dockworker. Holly was a blue-eyed daddy's girl, who knew all the words to Billy Joel's song, "My Life," and loved going out for pizza. Like most seven-year-olds, she also loved to help her mom. As bedtime approached, her mother asked her to run to the nearby deli to purchase a bar of soap, probably for her bath that night. She happily put her blue shorts on over her bathing suit, slipped on her shoes, and went to the deli. She was last seen at the deli, talking to a man who was visiting in town, and staying with his aunt. Holly was never seen again. An investigation of the man followed but was dropped due to a lack of evidence, even though there were several witnesses to Holly Ann's abduction, and he admitted to playing a hide-and-go-seek game with her at the deli on the evening of her disappearance. Then in 2001, some twenty years later, that man, Andre Rand, by then a convicted murderer and serial child sex offender, was finally charged and convicted of kidnapping Holly Ann. He is currently serving multiple life sentences in prison. Sadly, little Holly Ann's body has never been found, and this is her only place of remembrance.
Many thanks to The Lady in Black for sponsoring Holly Ann's memorial!
Many thanks to The Lady in Black for sponsoring Holly Ann's memorial!
