Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Skeleton remains confirmed to be missing Kentucky teen Paige Johnson

Episode Date: March 27, 2020

A hunter contacts police reporting human remains in a forest. Now, police say they have recovered the remains of Paige Johnson, who went missing nearly 10 years ago. Just 17 years old at the time, the Northern Kentucky girl disappeared after attending a party with friends.Joining Nancy Grace to discuss the break in the case: Kirk Nurmi - Former attorney for Jodi Arias, author of "Trapped with Ms. Arias"  Bobby Chacon - Former Special Agent FBI, current star of Facebook series, "Curse of Akakor"  Joe Scott Morgan - Forensic expert, Professor of Forensics, author of "Blood Beneath my Feet" Dr. Daniel Bober - Forensic psychiatrist  Kristen Quon - Reporter for WCYB, Bristol, Va. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Nancy Grace is coming to Fox Nation. I want justice. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace premieres March 9th only on Fox Nation. A 17-year-old girl, Paige Johnson Johnson goes missing 2010. The search is on in the last hours. A major break in the search for Paige Johnson, Kentucky Beauty. What happened the night Paige goes missing? What clues have been left behind? One anonymous tip about a water cistern leads police on a wild goose chase. But has the case finally been cracked?

I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Nancy Grace. Today, friends searched East Fork Lake in Batavia after a court document stated the man last seen with Paige Johnson was in that area hours after she was picked up from her Florence home. This is Jacob Bumpus and tonight the Taylor Mill man is being held at the Kenton County Jail on a probation violation. Prior to her disappearance, Bumpus posted a picture of him and 17-year-old Paige Johnson on his MySpace page. Court documents state he is the last man to see Paige after she disappeared on September 23rd. I honestly didn't see him as the type to do anything to Paige. We've all been friends with him for a long time.

From what I knew of hanging out with him, he was a good guy. Paige was supposed to be dropped off at her sister's house around 1 a.m the teen who was a mother to a two-year-old daughter sent her sister a cryptic message on facebook a half hour before she facebooked me and she said um girl i need to talk to you immediately and what time was that uh 12 14 in the last hours a stunning break in the search for a teen kentucky girl page johnson i'm nancy grace this is crime stories but before we go straight out to kentucky an alert a lee county alabama girl just four years old go to crimeline.com look at her picture beautiful little girl face covered in freckles beautiful red hair just four years old you know how defenseless children are at four years old goes missing when walking her dog less than 24 hours ago Evelyn Vady Sides, last seen, 2.30 p.m.

The 5,000 block Lee County Road 66 in Auburn, Alabama. She was walking her red dog. She's just three feet tall. She only weighs 40 pounds. Red hair, beautiful green eyes, a little red mark on her nose. Evelyn Vady was last seen wearing short-sleeved floral dress when she went missing. If you have any information on this beautiful little girl, just four years old, three feet tall, dial 334-737-7131. Repeat, 334-737-7131. Repeat, 334-737-7131. That's the Lee County Sheriff's Office, or of course you can

call 911. Evelyn Vady Sides. We know that with each minute that passes, the likelihood of bringing her home alive diminishes. Evelyn Vady Sides, Auburn, Alabama. And now we turn our attention to a 17-year-old, a teen Kentucky girl, Paige Johnson, who disappears 10 years ago. Where did it all start? You were just hearing our friends at WCPO Channel 9 News. That was Shannon Kettler. What happened to Paige? With me, an all-star panel, Kirk Nermy, former lawyer for Jody Arias, high-profile defense lawyer, author of Trapped with Miss Arias, Bobby Chacon, former special agent FBI star of Facebook series Curse of Akakor. He's seen it all. Professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, author of Blood Beneath My Feet

on Amazon, Joseph Scott Morgan, death investigator, forensic psychiatrist. You can find him on Instagram, Dr. Daniel Bober. But right now to WCYB Bristol, Virginia's Kristen Kwan. Kristen, thank you so much for being with us. Let's just start at the beginning. You know I like to establish a timeline at the beginning. But tell me, who is Paige Johnson? She's only 17 years old.

That's correct, Nancy. So Paige Johnson is a 17 year old and she's described by her family and friends as a social outgoing girl. Everyone seems to just really love her and she went missing on September 23rd, 2010. Wow. Wow. That's 10 long years have passed. To Joseph Scott Morgan, forensic expert, Joe Scott, when you are presented, I mean, I remember I hadn't been in the DA's office for long. Well, I had to have been there over two years because I was already trying murder cases. And I got a case that had occurred while I was still in law school, years before. And there was a conviction. It went all the way up to the doorstep of the U.S. Supreme Court

to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. And it got reversed and went back down through the courts. It's like, have you ever seen those ant farms that children get and the ants weave through all the sand and they finally get to the top? That's like an appeals process. Anyway, it was reversed because interlocking admissions were allowed in. Interlocking statements.

In other words, Jackie and I rob a bank. She gives a statement. I give a statement. I blame her. She blames me. And the prosecutor brought in Jackie's statement against me, but Jackie wouldn't take the stand. So I didn't have a way to cross-examine her. Sixth Amendment, right to a lawyer, right to cross-examine witnesses. That's the problem.

That's why you don't bring in an interlocking statement or you just sever the cases, try them separately. Anyway, long story short, I had to try them separately anyway long story short i had to try one of them over after 14 years had passed that's hard to do much less start a crime scene investigation 10 years later joe scott morgan how do you do that it's very difficult nancy because you know as we move down move down that timeline away from when the initial event occurred, memories begin to fade. You have evidence that begins to be eradicated in this particular case. Hey, hey, hey, hey, what do you mean by that? Evidence is eradicated what? Well, time, weather, space, those sorts of things. And you mean if it happens out in the wild to say if she's killed or disposed of in a forest, elements take over.

Or if it's an apartment, they move out. Somebody else moves in. They change the carpet. They paint the walls. I mean, I think that's what you mean by eradicated. You got to talk regular people talk, Joseph Scott Morgan. I'm just a JD. All right, go ahead. I understand.

Yeah. So over a period of time, you know, if we're talking about a body, you know, all of the evidence that is contained within that body or associated with that body is subject to all of the changes that we go through in life. And so that really diminishes your chances, your opportunities as an investigator to piece this back. One of the other things that we're heavily dependent upon is going all the way back

when an initial missing persons report was filed. How competent, how good was this investigation initially performed at Jump Street? Because now we have to go back in time and rely upon that initial information. So that plays a key as well. We're talking about the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl, Paige Johnson. But in the last hours. A stunning break in the case. You can see her photo at crimeonline.com. Take a listen to our friends at WKRC Cincinnati 12, Angela Ingram. A lot of people love Paige. If you knew her, you would have loved her too. She was just a spunky, happy, sweet child. And that's what she was, was a child.

Donna Johnson's 17-year-old is missing, gone from her life. Five years have passed, and each day she waits for answers, praying that someone finds her daughter or will speak up and help police. There are definitely people who have knowledge about where my child is, but we can't really do anything about it at the moment except wait. This place of peace. Family and friends gathered at DeVue Park to remember Paige and to dedicate a tree in her honor. There's a void here without her for many of her friends. Five years ago, Paige left her mother's home in Florence. She was on her way to Covington to meet her sister Brittany, but she never made it.

Donna says it's awful. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. THE CITY'S CITY COUNCIL IS LOOKING FOR A CASE. THE CITY'S CITY COUNCIL IS LOOKING FOR A CASE. CRIME STORIES WITH NANCY GRACE. CRIME STORIES WITH NANCY GRACE. A TIP BROUGHT AUTHORITIES HERE TO LATONIA,

AN ABANDONED ART STORE WHERE THAT ANONYMOUS PERSON REPORTED PAIGE'S REMAINS COULD BE FOUND IN A CISTERN. FRIENDS AND FAMILY WATCHED IN ANTICIPATION AS COVINGTON AND KENTON COUNTY OFFICIALS TOOK EVIDENCE FROM THE CISTERN,

BUCKET BY BUCKET, SIFTING TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD FIND. JUST HOPING THAT MY FAMILY CAN GET SOME CLOSURE, BECAUSE I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE CITY. I'M JUST HOPING THAT MY FAMILY CAN GET SOME CLOSURE, BECAUSE I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE CITY. County officials took evidence from the cistern, bucket by bucket, sifting to see what they could find. Just hoping that my family can get some closure because it's been too long.

Elisa Johnson, one of many, hoping today's the day they get the answers they've been waiting two years for. There's been hundreds of tips. Generally, if any of them show any validity at all, we follow up on them. This is not anything out of the case. But that doesn't mean police or family will stop searching. It's extremely frustrating. And you know, I mean, there's somebody out there that actually knows something. They're just not willing to talk to us. I'll never give up until she's found

and laid to rest. I'm just going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her.

I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to be there for her. I'm going to something they're just not willing to talk to us. I'll never give up until she's found and laid to rest and gets what she deserves. Oh what a heartbreak you were just hearing WCPO Channel 9 news reporter McKella Wright in another dead end in the search for this 17-year-old Kentucky beauty, Paige Johnson, described as spunky, outgoing, the life of the party, million-dollar smile, big brown eyes. What happened to Paige?

And you hear about that tip. An anonymous tip to police claims Paige's remains were at the bottom of a cistern in an abandoned art store. A cistern is a tank for storing water, especially one that supplies taps or is part of a flushing toilet. You can find them out in the woods. You can find them on previous building sites, long abandoned. an abandoned cistern gone dry or not is a perfect place to hide a body. But that was not meant to be. That was just two years after she goes missing. And then seemingly, Kristen Kwan, joining me, WCYB, Bristol, Virginia, at that time, seemingly the trail goes cold. What about it, Kristen? Right. That's exactly right. So police followed up on a number of leads for years, but just never were able to find anything related to where she was. Let's go back and look at the day she goes with goes missing with me. Kirk Nermy,

Bobby Chacon, Joe Scott Morgan, Dr. Daniel Bober, and Kristen Kwan. Joseph Scott Morgan, professor of forensics, Jacksonville State University, and author. What do you make of the day she goes missing, reportedly driving a short distance away to meet up with her own sister in Florence? Well, I think that relative to that, we have to think about the people that she was with. First off, what did she say to her sister? You know, what kind of information kind of issued forth from those conversations that she had? Because listen, I do know this, the last moments, the last moments that you have with someone that you love and that, you know, that you hold dear to your heart, you're going to hold

on to those very tightly. You're going to remember those conversations. So it's going to be very important that they go back and document everything that the sister said, and I'm sure that they did at that time. And then who was she connecting with? Who are those people that are going to be in her primary element within that circle that she's going to be interacting with? And it's going to be important to get all of their statements. And finally, where was she dropped off? Where was she placed? And that's going to be important to get all of their statements. And finally, where was she dropped off? Where was she placed? And that's going to be important as we extend the search looking for her. Well, you're so right. The Claremont County Sheriff's Office, Covington Police and Claremont Coroners all looking with their detective team to find this girl, Paige Johnson, who goes missing

2010. In the last hours, a big break in the case. We know that Paige was reported missing by that older sister, Brittany Haywood, after attending a party with friends the night before. Then Paige goes missing. Take a listen to WLWT 5 news reporter Dan Griffin. She should be here with us enjoying things, enjoying life and, you know, getting to be a part of everything. And it was stolen from her. It was stolen from all of us, too. Paige Johnson was 17 years old when she vanished in Covington on September 23rd, 2010.

She had a daughter who family members say has been forced to grow up without her mom. They say in 2020, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children will take Paige's case and an investigator from Washington, D.C. will comb over evidence for new clues. There were friends at this party that saw her leave and they haven't really cooperated, so no one really needs to be to close this case and br family gathers at the vu tree planted in her honor new stickers and buttons about her through tears a

for answers asking anyone talk, do it for page, do and her friends. Let's make this the last year we have to stand here and beg for help. Oh, stars the heartbreak in their voices to Dr. Daniel Bober, renowned forensic psychiatrist joining us out of the Florida jurisdiction. Oh, gosh. You know, I remember when my fiance was murdered that it was like a haze for so long and it changed the course of my life drastically and the suffering. But I,

I at least knew what had happened to him. I mean, victims like this, Dr. Bober, think, wow, did she just leave me? Children of moms that disappear, like the mommy just abandoned me and go start a new life. They don't know what happened. And they play it over and over and over in their minds. The last time they saw them, the last words they said, where could they have gone? Looking at the bus station, looking at the airports, just anything, just the torture of that Dr. Daniel Bober. Yeah, Nancy, it's completely heartbreaking. And that's what happens in these sorts of cases where people go through this mental bargaining about they would almost rather know the person, you know, is gone than know where they are because they have to live with that unknown every day. And that unknown is like torture you know to kirk nurmy who is now a famous defense

lawyer formerly the lawyer for convicted killer jody arias author of trapped with miss arias and that's quite a read on amazon kirk nurmy you have dealt with so many families in so many different capacities. Sometimes you're defending a killer. Sometimes you are in contact with homicide victims' families. Do they just numb themselves after a period of time to try to get through the day? I mean, I don't know how they do it, really, especially when it's your child. I think there's a level of shock that sets in and bewilderment. I mean, and in a case like this for 10 years until the body is found, there's probably always some faint grasp of hope, even however unrealistic it is. And they move forward with that. And then I think the next

move is to work towards closure. I think closure is a big deal for these families from what I observe and the contact I have with them. Getting that closure, bringing a sense of justice to their deceased loved one is what they're really seeking. And then we have a major, major break in the case. Take a listen to Covington, Kentucky Police. On the 22nd of March, we were notified by the Claremont County Sheriff's Office that an individual had called and he had reported that he had found what he believed to be human remains and located them out in Claremont County. Investigators from Claremont County responded to the area and they were able to locate the remains and contacted the Covington Police Department. Covington Police Department in conjunction with Claremont County searched

the area and we did recover several different remains at the time. All those items were actually sent to Hamilton County Coroner's Office. Claremont County Sheriff's Office and Covington Police Office were notified that those remains were positively identified, those of Paige Johnson, who was reported missing from Covington back in 2010. Hi guys, Nancy Grace here. I have investigated and prosecuted literally thousands of felony cases. I have covered literally thousands of cases of missing people, adults and children, unsolved homicides, violent crimes. My question is, what can we do about it? I don't want to just sit back and report on it.

I want to take action. And I know you must feel the same way. And here is the news. We have all worked so hard to bring to you Don't Be a Victim, Fighting Back Against America's Crime Wave, a brand new book. You can pre-order now. Go to crimeonline.com. This book is for everyone. It even includes how to stay safe while you travel, in hotels, if you're abroad. What do you do to make sure you come home safely to your family? Don't be a victim fighting back against America's crime wave. Available for pre-order now. CrimeOnline.com, pre-order now and know that portions of our proceeds goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Sunday morning, the Claremont County Sheriff's Office responded to a call of suspected human remains found in a wooded area in our county near Williamsburg Township. We were notified yesterday that the Hamilton County Coroner's Office identified the remains through dental records as Paige Johnson. She was reported missing to our department 10 years ago. At this point, there is no cause of death. We traveled to the home of Paige's mother, Donna, earlier this morning to give her the news. There remain many questions and much work before we can find the answers to those questions. Obviously this was not the outcome any

of us wanted. We all wanted to find Paige alive. Over the years, the hope faded, and I think the possibility grew fainter and fainter. Today, I'm sad to say that hope evaporated entirely. The remains of this beautiful girl, 17-year-old Paige Johnson, have been positively identified by use of dental records. When authorities tell you they can't tell the COD cause of death, you know the body is most likely skeletonized or there's been asphyxiation like strangulation or suffocation and then the body has been skeletonized. If you have a gunshot wound or a stab wound, you might be able to tell from skeletonized remains. Maybe not. But we know this. This is Paige Johnson. People held

out hope for so long she would be found alive. But let's talk about reality. to Bobby Chacon, former special agent, FBI, star of Facebook's Curse of Akakor. Bobby, really? The other day, of course, we're all in lockdown here and isolating because of coronavirus. But we were watching Monk. We've seen them all. He's one of our favorite, one of our favorites. But in this episode, his father, when he was a little boy, left to go get Chinese food. He waved goodbye and he never saw, never saw his dad again. With women, think about it, Bobby, with women who have children,

how often does that really happen where the mom just leaves on her own? She's not kidnapped. She's not killed. She's leaves on her own to quote, start a new life. Yeah, it's obviously it's where, right? The mother child bond is one of the strongest human emotions that, that exists. And so we often look at that where, you know, did they have any indication that they would do this? And family members and friends often say we often hear that, that they would never leave their child and that they know something nefarious must have happened to them because they would not have on their own abandoned their child. As you know, was the case in this page had a very young child who, you know, by all accounts, she was dedicated to and a good mom. And so they knew that something prevented Paige from returning home, which is not, is obviously not good in these situations. And you know what, Dr. Daniel Bober, renowned forensic psychiatrist at Dr. Daniel Bober on

Instagram. Dr. Bober, I know you have all sorts of technical Latin terms for this. But the reality is I thought I knew what love was until I had my children. And that's a whole nother ballgame. I mean, it's a whole nother level of love. And I really think, Bober, that God made us that way so our children would survive. We're not like cats. You just have a litter and walk off. No. Cats can live. Babies can't. I think that that is really instinctive.

I don't think you can change that. Absolutely right, Nancy. There's a book actually I believe called Eric Fromm, The Art of Loving, and it says that the only true love is the love between a mother and a child. So I think that that bond is so intense that there's nothing else like it in human emotions. You know, I was telling a story the other day to John David and Lucy about how Lucy, and this may be true with girls and boys, I don't know, Lucy couldn't wait to wear big girl underwear. And she knew she had to forget her pull-ups. Okay. John David,

on the other hand, was perfectly happy to stand at his train table and let mommy wipe him with wet wipes and change him. In fact, you know, he didn't mind at all having poopy pants. And David wanted me to go through all sorts of my husband antics about give him an M&M. If he uses the commode, do this, do that. If I said, David, don't worry, he is not going to go to Harvard wearing his pull ups. It's going to all be fine. All right. And you know what?

Sure enough, it was. And I was telling that funny story. And Lucy said, Mom, how could you change our pants and laugh about it? I'm like, I don't know. It didn't bother me at all. My point is, that's just a tiny excuse. There's just something about your child that you'd kill for them. You'd lie, you'd kill, you'd cheat, you'd steal, whatever to help your child. And the thought of your daughter just going missing at age 17 and then the tip that changed everything they find her body to Kristen Kwan joining me WCYB Bristol Virginia investigative reporter Kristen where was her body found? Her body was found in a state park

and a hunter actually a deer hunter actually found the remains and he went back home and told his wife and his wife called the police. Oh my stars oh my stars and and let me ask you this, Kristen Kwan, WCYB Bristol, where was the state park in relation to where Paige lived? So it actually wasn't far from where she lived. It was a different state, but it's really close to the line there. So it wasn't too far off from where she was living. Okay, right there to you, Joseph Scott Morgan, forensics expert. That tells me a lot. Kirk Nurmi, Bobby Chacon, Joe Scott Morgan, Dr. Daniel Bober, and Kristen Kwan.

Because Joe Scott, here's the example. Let's just use Robert Blake, that moron. I'll just put it out there. He takes his wife, Bonnie, Bonnie Lee Bakley, to his favorite restaurant. They sit in his favorite seat. He takes her to the car and set a parking right in front of the restaurant where there's a parking spot. He parks in the alley away from the restaurant. He puts her in the car and goes, oh, I left my gun in the restaurant. Goes back in. That was a pretense. There was no gun in the restaurant. She gets gets shot in the four

minutes he's gone he pauses to have a glass of water in the restaurant and then it comes out and finds her body wow i wonder who did it and the gun found in the dumpster a few feet away that means it was somebody in that area. Scott Peterson murdered his wife Lacey and dumped her in his old fishing hole, the San Francisco Bay. You see what this means, right, Joe Scott? She's found just a few miles away from home. Yeah, I do see what it means, Nancy. And what this means is that the individual that is involved with her disappearance and with all of the circumstances surrounding it has to have a familiarity with this area, specific enough to go to this area. But, you know, as time has gone

by, her remains suddenly became visible. I don't know what state they were in relative to that, whether they were still buried in a depressed area, just laying on top of the ground. But this individual that had access to her also had access to this area and would know how to move around in that area. I mean, everybody just think silently for a minute, whatever you do, don't tell me because I'll be on you like a cheap suit. Think, where would you hide a body? Think about it. It's somewhere you know, somewhere where you're familiar. Bobby Giacone, former special agent, FBI star, Facebook series, Curse of Akakor. Weigh in, Bobby. You've seen it many times over. Yeah, you know, we often do that. We say, draw two circles, right? When you do a homicide, the world of the victim and the world of the location where either the homicide took place or the body's found.

And so when you do that and you put all those people in those circles, the people that are in the overlapping part of those two circles are your primary suspects. So did somebody that's all in her life also have familiarity with that geographic area? And you start looking at those people first because um you're right i think the exercise you just gave us i think every one of us when you gave us that that task of thinking where we would we immediately thought of a place we know because why would we think of a place completely random to us but a random place would be much more difficult for police to find uh us attached to so so yes it's something like dr morgan just said it's something that it's a place that somebody knows Morgan just said, it's something that, it's a place that somebody knows. You have to look at people that know that area.

Maybe they've hunted in that area before. Depends how far off the road it is. So, they're going to do kind of a geographic profile of that location. And then from that, you can kind of, you know, look at your suspect pool and see who fits. Okay, man. I love it when you talk criminal to me. Geographic profile. That's, I've never heard it called that. I know to figure out who would be in that area, but I like that phrase, geographic profile. I'm stealing it. I made it up.

It's my phrase and you stole it from me, Bobby Chacon. That's my story. I give you permission to use it. I made it up. It's my phrase and you stole it from me, Bobby Chacon. That's my story. Kirk Nermy, do you ever think for Pete's sake, can you hide the body somewhere other than your backyard or your basement? Kirk, because you're the veteran defense attorney. You've handled a hundred homicides. You handled Jodi Erie. So I'm sure you're not going to say yes she was guilty but come on she leaves the body in the victim's shower come on please where she last was people hide dead bodies where they are familiar Kirk has anybody ever surprised you don't give me a name I don't want your ethical integrity to be compromised. But has anybody ever surprised you where they hit a body or evidence?

Not really. No. I mean, it is familiarity. I mean, even though it sounds so funny in this situation, I mean, people go with what they know and the area they feel safe and regardless of what they're doing. And so Bobby's right. I mean, you're going to look at that geographic area and look at those suspects and hope someone within that area has a crisis of conscience. You know, it's almost like this, Dr. Daniel Bober, you're the shrink, excuse me,

forensic psychiatrist. Dr. Bober, it's like a dog will go and circle around and around and around before he, she sits down. It's instinct. Why do we do it it why hide the body exactly where you quote hunt fill in the blank picnic fish what whatever frequent why it's uh you know it's a comfort level you do you do it where you feel comfortable the same reason why criminals hunt in the areas that they live in because there's a certain sense of comfort They feel safer because they know the territory. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Police say Bumpus told them he dropped off Page at 15th and Scott Boulevard, but search warrants filed by Covington Police indicate otherwise. An affidavit states Bumpus admitted to being with Johnson the night

of the 22nd and gave her alcohol. Officers later searched his Taylor Mill home on DeCoursey Pike to find what appeared to be blood and latex gloves in the kitchen sink, according to the affidavit. Cell phone records belonging to Bumpus show he was near Johnson's home at 1 a.m. and several hours later at East Fork Lake State Park in Batavia. If anybody knows where my sister's at, please contact us, the cops, and let them know. And Bumpus, if you know something, then you need to come clean because this is tearing all of us up. It's important to note tonight, Jacob Bumpus has not been charged in any way in connection to Paige Johnson's disappearance. He's in jail tonight because he violated his probation for having alcohol at his home. You are hearing our friends at WCPO Channel 9.

That was Shannon Kettler reporting. Okay, who is this guy? Jacob Bumpus. We know at the time that Paige goes missing, 2010, the 22-year-old Bumpus picked Paige up from her mother's home to take her to a party. He later told police he dropped her off 15 minutes from her home at a Covington intersection. I'd have to say, why? Why leave her 15 minutes from home? It was hard for Cupps to find out anything from anybody at the party. Everybody was drinking. They all had slightly different stories.

Nobody could pin down exactly what happened. But then comes phone records. Phone records indicate Bumpus was not telling the truth, that he was actually in Florence at the time. He said he dropped Paige off. He also made a call that night from East Fork State Park in Claremont County around 4 28 a.m. That location was pinged about a little over a mile away where page's body was discovered which begs the question why didn't they ping his phone at the time and then bring out the canines the cadaver dogs that's a big question for me that's what I would have done to Kristen Kwan joining me WCYB Bristol Virginia you told me a hunter discovered her body was his cell phone

pinged the boyfriend at the time so at the time when she went missing they did later on ping his cell phone to see where he had been and they they actually, from what I understand, searched that park because of cell phone ping there, but they weren't able to find anything back when this all started in 2010. Paige Johnson disappeared September 23, 2010. Now she would be 27. She was only 17 years old with a million-dollar smile and her life ahead of her.

Covington police say her remains were located Sunday near Williamsburg Township, back to Kristen Kwan, WCYB Bristol. I believe you said earlier she was identified through dental records. Yeah, that's correct. You know, their teams went in, and that's how they figured out that it was her was their dental record to joseph scott morgan professor of forensics jacksonville state university and author of blood beneath my feet on amazon just got explained how dental records can be used when you don't have time to go get dna or don't have DNA? Yeah, well, you know, dental records have always been, you know, traditionally in the medical legal community

have always been our fallback position. And that's because the vast majority of people in the U.S. have had some kind of dental treatment. If we have a suspicion of who a skeleton or who a skull might have belonged to in life, we can go back to that family and say, did your loved ones have dental care at some point in time? And dental care is very specific, Nancy. Teeth are rotated in certain ways. You have certain cavities that are there. You have certain restorations like fillings and caps.

So we compare those to the body that we have. So you have to have anti-mortem records and then the post-mortem remains. And it ties back pretty quickly. Next to DNA, it's probably one of the most reliable sources we have for the purposes of identification. In 2010, Page's disappearance caused massive public vigils, investigative searches that were exhausted, social media, Facebook pages, looking for clues and helping her family. Nothing led to Paige Johnson. It was her sister, Brittany Haywood, that reported her missing. And the boyfriend, Jacob T. Bumpus, then 22, of Taylor Mill, was questioned.

But nothing ever happened with that. He told cops he dropped Paige off 1 a.m. at an intersection. I mean, Kirk, nor me, does that sound right to you, drop a 17 year old girl off at 1 a.m. at an intersection and crossways in the street when you're just 15 minutes from home? It doesn't make a lot of sense. No. And it follows from there. And usually most criminals are not really good at lying. And this this lie just doesn't make any sense. Why does he write? Why does he do that? They're 15 minutes away from home. Why doesn't he take her home? You combine that with the records and the police are rightfully suspicious of Mr. Bumpus. Well, I have good news regarding the police. Based on additional phone records, investigators did go to East Fork State Park in Claremont County with cadaver dogs. It's a 10,000 acre park and they focused their search

in the park because of that last known ping. Let me tell everybody, Bumpus has not been charged. He has not been named a suspect. Take a listen to our friends at WKRC Local 12, Clancy Burke. In the 10 years Paige Johnson has been missing, Covington police have not given up. It was just two months ago they brought a new detective onto the case, and then three days ago they received a big lead. Over the weekend, a man called 911 saying he thought he found human remains in a wooded area in Claremont County. This was near Williamsburg Township. The remains were then sent to the coroner's office for analysis,

and late yesterday it was confirmed they were the remains of Paige Johnson. She was last seen on September 23, 2010, after leaving her Florence home to hang out with friends. A man Johnson was with that night, Jacob Bumpus, told police in 2010 that he had dropped Paige off in Covington that night, but phone pings revealed he had been in the area of East Fork Lake State Park the morning she disappeared. By the way, that's just a couple of miles away from where Paige's remains were found. Covington Police Chief Rob Nader wouldn't elaborate on any suspects in the case, but said this is a big step for the department.

He notified Paige's mom about the discovery earlier this morning. I think there is some good feelings that at least her daughter has been located. Earlier this morning, Commonwealth's attorney Rob Sanders said there are people out there who know things who should be nervous right now. I guess so. I guess so. And according to the sister, Brittany Haywood, quote, I know there are other people who know what happened to my sister that night. How they sleep at night is baffling to me, and I agree with her. We wait as justice unfolds. For those of you just joining us, major break in the search for Paige Johnson.

Her remains have been identified. information, call 1-800-THE-LOST, 1-800-843-5678 or 513-352-3040. Your tip can remain anonymous. It can, C-A-N, remain anonymous, 513-352-3040 or 800-843-5678. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.