The Charley Project is NOT a registered non-profit organization and any donations will NOT be tax-deductible. A Memorial Service will be held at 7:30 PM Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at the James O'Donnell Funeral Home in Hannibal. Karras warned the cold environment of Hannibal's cave would lower the body temperatures of the lost boys to dangerous levels if they weren . Debra DeDe Hoag, 67, of Hannibal, Missouri, passed away at 5:37 AM Thursday, February 15, 2018 at her home. But when the children did not return home during the time that they would usually go back from their games, their parents were worried. 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. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. racist or sexually-oriented language. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. "That was the start of it. 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. A memorial service will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, at the James O'Donnell Funeral Home in Hannibal. However, none of the parents of the missing children was able to confirm whether the sock belonged to one of the Hoag brothers or Dowell. Because nothing was ever found, there's speculation that the children weren't lost in the cave and something else caused their disappearances. In 1978, after Gacy was arrested "and all of his darkness was revealed," Wingate said, many rumors and questions surfaced in Hannibal about whether Gacy could have been in town when the three boys vanished in 1967. They took shovels, lanterns and other necessary things. After that, they disappear and even traces of them, much less their bodies, were found. They said they were going to explore Murphys Cave a local spot near a road construction site. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The world isn't flat, cats didn't knock them off the edges. Partly cloudy skies. At 3pm, they were spotted by a casual passer-by walking to the entrance of Murphys Cave. A new book released last week puts a surprising new ending on a 52-year-old Hannibal story. Joel disappeared with his brother, William Hoag, and a friend, Edwin "Craig" Dowell. When they werent home by 5:45, their brother Tim started looking for them. "They had been seen darting down into those caves on May 8 and May 9," Wingate said. The last theory is that the boys didnt actually all go missing at once. That claim, like so many others, would bear no fruit and the preliminary search would be called off 10 days after the disappearance. Doesn't seem to be any record (names) in the DN database. On May 9, 1967, the three children headed to Murphys Cave. Dont leave the yard, she told him. I dont think a lot of that was made public.. 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,. Wingate's book, "Lost Boys of Hannibal: Inside America's Largest Cave Search," noted that the boys -- Edwin Craig Dowell, 14, and brothers Joel Hoag, 13, and Billy Hoag, 11 -- were never found despite month-long search efforts. One of these caves is called the Murphys Cave. 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? Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org. Wingate is scheduled to sign copies of his new book from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 2, at Quincy Books and Toys, 3800 Broadway, and will sign books and give a presentation from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 3, at the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal. Two years ago, Hannibal native John Wingate released his first book about the disappearance of three Hannibal boys who were last seen on May 10, 1967, near some cave openings on Hannibal's south side. We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen! Their family owned Hoag's Tavern, a popular restaurant on Main Street. The opening was between the ending southbound lanes off the nearby viaduct (the start of Birch Street) and Walnut Street. The unknown fate of the children -- Billy Hoag, 10, Joey Hoag, 13, and Craig Dowell, 14 -- is one of Hannibal's greatest mysteries, haunting residents of the small Mississippi River town for 50 years. In addition to police, groups like the Mark Twain Emergency Squad and National Speleological Society were brought in to help look for the boys. HANNIBAL, Mo. They owned Hoags Tavern, a popular restaurant along Hannibals Historic Main Street. With todays technology, Henderson believes a new search could be conducted, but the chances of that happening are non-existent. Each man is nursing a grudge Hannibal for Will trying to capture him; Will for Hannibal . There is one last point of speculation I want to go over and, again, I want to emphasize that this is pure speculation, not accusations. Float trips and lazy days at the beach in Florida were always fun. Joel and Craig were both eighth-graders at Hannibal Junior High at the time of their disappearances. This was the latest reported sighting of the boys; after 5:15, all traces of them were lost. In the days that followed, cavers near and far joined an extensive search-and-rescue mission. Extensive search-and-rescue efforts turned up no sign of any of them, however. Keep it Clean. Billy and Joey, as they were more commonly called, On Monday, May 8, 1967, Billy and Joey were, The next day was Wednesday, May 10. Wingate later learned the woman was a psychic from southern Missouri who reportedly "saw the three boys' spirit energy manifest up front when I was speaking," he said. Visitation will be from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM Tuesday. People came pouring in to look for them, DeDe said. The show is now into its third season, and Cambeletta has also begun working on a documentary film about the case. A pair of black tights are a necessity, rather than just an accessory, to stay stylish and comfortable when temperatures drop. But Dowells and the Hoags bodies have never been found. He had on a T-shirt and jeans. DeDe and Billy crossed paths in the house. I cant speak for him, but he saw them walking up toward the highway, Henderson said. But these searches, just like the ones in the caves, didnt lead to much. The boys were last seen on the south side of Hannibal, Missouri between 4:20 and 5:00 p.m. She also didnt know where Tim was. 13 and 14, respectively, when they were last seen in Hannibal, Missouri on the afternoon of May 10, 1967. I dont think he wanted to find them. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Local 17 year old helps in City SCs debut win, Geekie ends drought with 2 goals, Kraken beat Blues, KC Chiefs honored by Pro Football Hall of Fame, Back-to-back jacks from Goldynado in Cardinals win, Comedian Kevin James is coming to Stifel Theatre, TOOTSIE the comedy musical coming to the Fox Theatre, Brewsday Tuesday: Saint Louis Hop Shop -find good, Troy Family Dental in Illinois addresses periodontal, The cure for foundation leaks from Woods Basement, There is a surgery-free option for E.D. In December, Herald-Whig Staff Writer Edward Husar spoke to author John Wingate, who wrote "Lost Boys of. The three boys routinely explored caves in Hannibal's Southside neighborhood. If they had, what would have happened? On May 9, 1967, the Hoags and Dowell went searching Murphys Cave on the southside of town, which had been exposed by construction for Highway 79. A writer and author of crime thrillers living in the UK. As he further explored the possibility of Gacy's involvement, Wingate kept finding other connections. Henderson, along with Billy and other neighborhood boys, had Royal Ambassadors meetings at the local church Wednesday nights and there wasnt enough time to do both. Brother Bill Dexheimer will officiate. Copyright 2010 - 2023 Soul:Ask | Unlock your Mind and Soul. But a parental edict to stay in the yard the afternoon they disappeared wasnt enough to deter the young adventurers. One of the popular south side caves at the time, Murphys Cave, was one of the first places rescuers tried to look. They were carrying shovels and a flashlight, and said they were going to explore Murphy's Cave, near the Highway 79 construction project. Two years ago, Hannibal native John Wingate released his first book about the disappearance of three Hannibal boys who were last seen on May 10, 1967, near some cave openings on Hannibal's south side. The Hoag brothers and Craig Dowell were never found. If you have any information about this case, you can contact the Hannibal Police Department at 573-221-0987. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Thats all there is to it.. I dont think he was really good friends with Joey, but he wasnt no big friend of Billy and I. I can tell you that. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. person will not be tolerated. Wed, 20 May 2015 04:21:51 GMT Joey, Billy, and the Hoag kids had many hobbies while growing up in Hannibal. These kids lived up to everything [in Twains books], from caves and from river travels [to] hiking and exploring, St. Charles-based filmmaker Franki Cambeletta, who has spent the last couple of years seeking answers about it all, said Wednesday on St. Louis on the Air. So what happened to the Lost Boys of Hannibal? They wouldnt believe me until somebody stepped forward and sort of said, Hes right, because I saw them. Bill Dexheimer (who did not wish to comment), he said that he had seen I dont know if he saw Craig but he saw Billy and Joey. The content of this website does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Soul:Ask and may contain 18+ material. This file image shows search efforts for three Hannibal boys who were last seen May 10, 1967 near cave openings on Hannibal's south side. The boys were last seen on the south side of Hannibal, Missouri between 4:20 and 5:00 p.m. Missouris Route 79 is a beautiful roadway cutting through the states eastern hills and tiny subtle towns. person will not be tolerated. The other two were written by John Wingate, a childhood friend of the boys. My own opinion is youre going to find Billy and Joey. A Hannibal mystery 48 years in the making. Every restaurant in town made food for my family and the cavers. The late, great Roberto Clemente. You really dont ever get over it. 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. Or had something else happened to them? He and William were not supposed to leave their yard, but they left anyway while their parents were out. 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. 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.. There's no evidence to support any other theories, however. Or had something else happened to them? DeDe Hoag believes her brothers and Craig Dowell may have gotten trapped in one of these holes and accidentally buried after they were sealed. Every. Henderson added there more than likely would have been lawsuits against the construction company building the roadway, the City of Hannibal and the State of Missouri. It slithers and curves through the land just like the Mighty Mississippi River. "But each of these clairvoyants corroborated the others' findings independently.". and our Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. They were carrying shovels and a flashlight, and said they were going to explore Murphy's Cave, near the Highway 79 construction project. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. 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. The preliminary search was called off 10 days later, though another source said the cave would continue to be searched for the next month. One of the psychics even suggested that Gacy was involved in the disappearance and deaths of two Monroe City boys -- John Wagner in February 1968 and Rickey Enochs in June 1977. We'd love to hear eyewitness The boys shared a sense of adventure, much like the heroes of Mark Twains novels Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Missing Since: May 10, 1967 Missing From: Hannibal, Marion County, Missouri Classification: Endangered Missing Date Of Birth: circa, 1953 Age: 14 years old Height and Weight: 5'0 and 100 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian Male, Edwin usually goes by his middle name "Craig" Details of Disappearance 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. Over at the church the Royal Ambassadors were meeting. The Lost Boys of Hannibal: Missing for 55 years. Meanwhile at the Hoag House on Fulton Avenue, DeDe was waiting to find out if she had to work. Joel Hoag, 13, Billy Hoag, 11, and Edwin Craig Dowell, 14, vanished May 10, 1967. Have the latest local news delivered every day so you don't miss out on updates. Or were they the victims of a notorious serial killer? 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