The Disappearance of Paige Johnson

The young mother vanished without a trace, and it took ten years to find out why.

On September 22, 2010, 17-year-old Paige Johnson left her home in Florence, Kentucky, expecting a night out. A young mother to a two-year-old daughter, she had plans to visit friends. That evening, Jacob Bumpass, 22, picked her up.

According to him, he dropped her off at 15th and Scott streets in Covington, Kentucky around 1 a.m. on September 23. But something was off. Cell phone records later placed Bumpass’s phone near East Fork Lake in Clermont County, Ohio, around the same time. Paige never made it home, and her family reported her missing later that day.

Despite repeated searches, authorities found no sign of her. Police questioned Bumpass early on, but without hard evidence, the case stalled. For years, Paige’s family pushed for answers, clinging to hope while fearing the worst. Her mother, Donna Johnson, never stopped searching, certain that someone knew more than they were saying.

Community volunteers and law enforcement scoured multiple areas, checking abandoned buildings, forests, and waterways, but nothing turned up. The mystery surrounding her disappearance deepened, and without a body, rumors and speculation ran wild.

A Decade of Waiting Ends in Tragedy

For nearly ten years, Paige’s disappearance remained a mystery. Then, on March 22, 2020, a hiker discovered a human skull in a wooded area near State Route 276 in Clermont County, Ohio.

Days later, more remains were found nearby. Dental records confirmed what her family had long feared; Paige was gone. The location was just miles from East Fork Lake, where Bumpass’s phone had pinged the night she vanished. The discovery was a devastating confirmation, but it also opened a new chapter in the case.

Investigators now had proof that Paige had died shortly after her disappearance, but crucial evidence was missing. The remains were too decomposed to determine the cause of death. Without that information, authorities couldn't pursue homicide charges.

This left her family frustrated, as they believed Paige had been murdered. A few of her personal belongings were also found near the site, but they offered no new leads. The lack of physical evidence meant the justice system would have to rely on circumstantial and digital evidence to hold anyone accountable

The Arrest and Trial of Jacob Bumpass

On July 28, 2020, Jacob Bumpass was arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Donna Johnson, the mother of Paige, expressed her gratitude to law enforcement, saying she was overwhelmed with happiness upon learning of the arrest. “It was a moment I’ve been praying for,” she shared. “Hearing he was taken into custody filled me with a joy I can’t put into words.”

Paige’s sister, Brittany Haywood, also spoke out, telling local reporters, “From the very start, I believed I knew who was responsible for what happened to my sister. Today, I feel a sense of overwhelming relief knowing that Jacob Bumpass is finally under arrest and will have to face the consequences after nearly a decade of silence.”

However, Bumpass maintained his innocence, refusing to reveal what really happened that night. The trial, held in July 2023, relied heavily on digital evidence. Prosecutors pointed to his phone’s location, contradicting his claim that he left Paige in Covington.

The prosecution argued that Bumpass knew more than he admitted. They presented phone records showing he had traveled toward the rural wooded area where Paige’s remains were found. Surveillance footage also captured Bumpass at a gas station near East Fork Lake in the early morning hours of September 23, 2010.

However, without direct evidence of murder, prosecutors could only charge him with handling her remains improperly and failing to report her death.

A jury found Bumpass guilty. On September 7, 2023, he was sentenced to four years in prison—the maximum penalty for the charges against him. Paige’s family, while relieved he was behind bars, felt justice was incomplete.

Bumpass never admitted what happened, leaving lingering questions about how Paige died and why her body was hidden for so long. Paige’s daughter, who was just a toddler when she went missing, was now a teenager growing up without answers about her mother’s fate.