Three adventurous boys, Joel Hoag, 13, his brother Billy, 11, and their friend Craig Dowell, 14, were out exploring Murphy's Cave, which was exposed by highway construction from state highway 79,. Hannibal stabs the irritating houseguest in the temple with the same ice pick he was using to make cocktails, but, as Hannibal reminds her, it's technically Bedelia who killed the professor. Joey and Billy came home from school, they were there in the house, and Joey went through the hallway. I dont think they felt like doing it.. There was also a strange message about a man in a black cloak who was not recognized as a city resident, police officer or anyone else. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Fifty-four years ago this month, three boys went missing in Hannibal, Missouri, and were never seen again. Tim told his mother to call the Mark Twain Emergency Squad and she did. Im doing that and I get ready to go and I dont even get 50 feet from the house. Threats of harming another This theory contends Gacy encountered the Hannibal boys near the caves, offered them a ride home, then drove them to a nearby wooded area and assaulted, killed and buried them. Its not only horrific to think of how these boys ended, but also the idea that somebody would hunt these local kids that everybody loved. Craig Dowell, he was an acquaintance, Henderson said. 41 dogs, puppies rescued from hoarder in rural Mo. High 59F. Don't knowingly lie about anyone The next theory is that the boys were trapped somewhere and succumbed to the elements or died of injuries. They were 10-year-old Billy Hoag, his brother 13-year-old Joel Hoag and their friend 14-year-old Craig Dowell. They were carrying shovels and a flashlight, and said they were going to explore Murphy's Cave, near the Highway 79 construction project. Yet there is a mystery on a portion of this roadway that has yet to be solved, a mystery as cold as a brisk Midwest winter. At the time the boys went missing, machines being used to search the caves could go as far down as 39 feet but the town mayor ordered them to go no further than 37 feet. As he further explored the possibility of Gacy's involvement, Wingate kept finding other connections. This city is known as the birthplace of Mark Twain and in particular the Mark Twain Cave where Tom Sawyer films were made. A flashlight and shovel, One source said the last known sighting of the boys, It was also around that time that another friend of the Hoag brothers stopped by their house to see if they were home. The Hoags surviving sister has wondered if there was a cover-up involving the construction company, which she said had workers routinely blasting in the area and did not put up signs or caution tape around any of the various cave openings caused by their work. Dont leave the yard, she told him. Be Nice. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Hart: Hannibal boys' disappearance brought back to life in book. "But each of these clairvoyants corroborated the others' findings independently.". He was an instigator, but not in a bad way. The Hoags were a big family of 11 children and were known around town. The opening was between the ending southbound lanes off the nearby viaduct (the start of Birch Street) and Walnut Street. A plaque and stone monument sits atop the Lovers Leap park overlooking the Mississippi River to honor the memory of the three boys. They were planning to . In 2010, author Charles Stewart published a book about them, titled A Sorrow of the Heart. They were all reportedly spotted in and around Murphys Cave on the day they disappeared, but some of these sightings were not of all three of them, meaning they separated at some point. Another such clue is that someone apparently saw the boys out of town alive after the search began, but no children or traces of them were found at that location. The brothers asked another friend of theirs, 11-year-old Greg Henderson, to go with them to the cave, but he got called in for dinner so he couldnt. But a parental edict to stay in the yard the afternoon they disappeared wasnt enough to deter the young adventurers. Sunshine and clouds mixed. Share with Us. They got forensic and all that stuff, they could probably get it solved. Billy and Joey were making plans to go caving and they were recruiting some of their friends at A.D. Stowell Elementary School the next day. On Monday, May 8, 1967, Billy and Joey were exploring the cave when they were spotted by a worker. A memorial plaque with the boys names and their history is placed next to the ill-fated entrance to Murphys Cave, which is now closed. These holes. That day, the construction work resulted in a cave-in at Murphys Cave. Like I just alluded to, they were supposed to be at church that evening, and probably would have had to catch the bus between 5:30 and 5:45 to be there by 6 pm. The Hoag boys had been punished for exploring it the day prior. "They had been seen darting down into those caves on May 8 and May 9," Wingate said. Advertisement. One particular area the boys loved was Murphys Cave. Threats of harming another For more information, please see our He behind left three brothers. Joel Hoag, 13, Billy Hoag, 11, and Edwin Craig Dowell, 14, vanished May 10, 1967. But these searches, just like the ones in the caves, didnt lead to much. She stayed up every night waiting for my brothers to come home. Motorists are always making their way along Route 79 at its origin, along the calm banks of Hannibal, and for many its just a daily routine. Henderson also remembers a few theories as well. There are no plans to open up the cave system to the public, and the project is limited to skilled and experienced cavers, according to the post. One of the popular south side caves at the time, Murphys Cave, was one of the first places rescuers tried to look. Tim went in there to a certain degree, and once he got in there, there were so many mazes, DeDe said. They regularly picked up lanterns and went down into the dark cave tunnels. Wingate said if Gacy were to go visit his mother, "driving from Waterloo to Little Rock, he would take Highway 61, which takes you right through Hannibal.". So they were just really exploratory kids outside enjoying nature.. But everything was in vain. Mom and Dad left to go over to Buehlers Market to get some meat. Keep it Clean. Hannigram is the slash ship between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter from the Hannibal fandom. While giving a presentation, he noticed a woman in the audience was crying and visibly upset. Wingate said his first encounter with one of the psychics came last spring while he was doing a book signing at the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal for "Lost Boys." Dundon pointed out witnesses who identified the boys as heading toward Murphy's . You can head over to, a small town of about 17,000 people that sits along the famous Mississippi River, Billy was very mischievous while Joey was more serious, interested in science, especially astronomy, exploring the cave when they were spotted by a worker, were later found to be missing from the Hoag home, were reportedly in Murphys Cave around 4:35 pm, but gone a few minutes later, a quick search of the cave by Tim turned up nothing, groups like the Mark Twain Emergency Squad and National Speleological Society, the cave would continue to be searched for the next month, the entrance to Murphys Cave was discovered, said case would stay open, but there probably wouldnt be any more searches, John Wingate, a childhood friend of the boys, have done a pretty deep dive into the case and even said they want to solve it, theres a new effort underway to keep mapping out Murphys Cave, they were supposed to be at church that evening, and probably would have had to catch the bus between 5:30 and 5:45 to be there by 6 pm, were sealed up a few days after the boys were last seen, that the boys didnt actually all go missing at once, He believes the mayor and others involved in the search may not have wanted to find the boys. When their parents returned home and asked where they were, DeDe had no idea. He went to Murphys Cave and saw some of the boys friends there, who said they saw Billy, Joey and Craig going into the cave earlier. Sister to the missing Hoag boys Billy and Joey, Denise Hoag, and daughter Candace Hoag sit down with Chris and Franki to discuss Charles Stewart, but before that . Searching for the missing, identifying those with no name.Missing and Unidentified Persons Cases, Moderators:Nut44x4, tatertot, rain, burnsjl2003, Begood, wv171. He and Billy were close friends. But now, in a new book, Wingate is advancing a different theory -- one that suggests the boys may have been victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who was convicted of murdering 33 boys and men in the Chicago area between 1972 and 1978. They regularly picked up lanterns and went down into the dark cave tunnels. We won't share it with anyone else. "For 52 years, the consensus has been that the three Hannibal boys were lost in a calamitous collapse inside the cave," Wingate said. Have the latest local news delivered every day so you don't miss out on updates. Last updated June 3, 2012; details of disappearance updated. They feared crashes and other disasters. Did they separate and go missing in multiple different ways, in two or even three tragic coincidences? HANNIBAL Missouri's Route 79 is a beautiful roadway that cuts through the state's eastern hills and tiny, subtle towns. Authorities checked it to see if the Hoag brothers or Craig were there, but they didn't find anything. Be Proactive. Brother Bill Dexheimer will officiate. According to various accounts over the years, they were last seen between 4:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. For more than a week, members of the Mark Twain Emergency Squad and the National Speleological Society searched Murphys Cave and others subterranean systems for any trace of the boys, due to fears they may have been trapped via a cave-in. They were 10-year-old Billy Hoag, his brother 13-year-old Joel Hoag and their friend 14-year-old Craig Dowell. Be Truthful. They were waiting for the moment when the construction workers at the site would go to rest. Gone, but not forgotten The unknown status of her two boys changed Helen Hoag forever. That day, the construction work resulted in a cave-in at Murphys Cave. Wingate expounds on the Gacy theory in his new book, "Souls Speak: Missing children reveal their serial killer from beyond," which became available Wednesday on Amazon.com. ". Do you think the boys were kidnapped, or did they die of injury on the construction site and their bodies weren't able to be recovered? Since then, rumors and theories have swirled around the Mississippi River town about what happened to 13-year-old Joey Hoag, 10-year-old brother Billy Hoag, and their friend, 14-year-old Craig. On May 10, 1967, Joey Hoag stepped off the school bus outside his parents' home in Hannibal's Southside neighborhood where he was greeted by his 16-year-old sister, Debra "DeDe" Hoag. Their parents, who were back from the meat market, said they werent there, but that if their friend saw him to tell them to hurry home. that is degrading to another person. 2022 by Mary Hallberg, Proudly created with Wix.com. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The last theory is that the boys didnt actually all go missing at once. After that, they disappear and even traces of them, much less their bodies, were found. And I said, Mom, maybe youll just have to find out on the other side if theyre there. DeDe herself still struggles with her brothers disappearance despite 45 years passing by. Concerned citizens suggested authorities even search the various islands dotting the Mississippi River. They began to pray that nothing bad would happen to the boys. Billy has red hair and blue eyes and a scar under his right arm. Jack calls in Hannibal to work on the psychological profile of the Minnesota Shrike, and the two go to his office where he meets Will Graham. Because the road construction work going on at the time had resulted in a cave-in at Murphys Cave on the day the three boys went missing, the most prominent theory of their demise is that they became stuck in the cave after some kind of blasting occurred. Because of the circumstances, authorities theorized the three boys were trapped inside the cave when it collapsed and weren't able to get out. You think theyre going to close down that highway to build on a speculation? Joel and Craig were both eighth-graders at Hannibal Junior High at the time of their disappearances. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. But at some point, 15-year-old Tim Hoag and 16-year-old DeDe lost track of their younger brothers, who slipped out of the yard and headed for another adventure. Also surviving are one sister-in-law, MaryAnn Hoag; a special friend, Melissa Breeding; seven nieces; 10 nephews; 14 great-nephews;13 great-nieces; and DeDes beloved pet dog, Naomi., DeDe was preceded in death by her parents; two infant sons, James and Jeffrey Mastin; six brothers, Mickey Hoag, Fred Hoag, Tim Hoag, Joey Hoag, Billy Hoag and Robin Hoag; two nephews, Michael J. Hoag and Timmy Hoag; and her special pet dog, Hannibal.. Their family owned Hoag's Tavern, a popular restaurant on Main Street. In the 1960s, parents strictly forbade their children from even looking at the openings in the ground. and our Just outside, Billy replied. They even summoned a few psychics who claimed they could feel the place where the children had disappeared. The three Hannibal boys were particularly curious about the caves. DeDe was born January 15, 1951, in Hannibal, Missouri to Michael T. and Helen V. McCullough Hoag. She . But who could stop the curious children? Partly cloudy skies. One of these caves is called the Murphys Cave. It is very possible that we could become closer than any other individual has, in league with the Hoag family, to find out what happened to these boys. Billy, Id say was a little bit more mischievous than Joey. If you have any information about this case, you can contact the Hannibal Police Department at 573-221-0987. The three boys routinely explored caves in Hannibal's Southside neighborhood. The next day was Wednesday, May 10. Other, similar theories suggest they were trapped in a road cave in, fell into a sinkhole or did actually return to the cave, only to become trapped somewhere where they couldnt be found. Had they even returned to the cave after those last few sightings of them around town? Donations are accepted but not expected; the site remains free-access to all. A new Route 79 was being constructed (thats the route everyone knows today) and the deep holes dug into the hillside along the roads that lead into Lovers Leap and Riverside Cemetery had revealed a maze of passage ways which led into the caves. Franki Cambeletta Talks About Hannibal's Unsolved Mystery From 1967. But Dowells and the Hoags bodies have never been found. She said keep an eye on the boys (Billy and Joey) because of what they had done the night before, DeDe said. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. 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