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Missing Edwin Craig Dowell 
Edwin, approximately 1967 Date reported missing : 05/10/1967 Missing location (approx) : Hannibal, Missouri Missing classification : Lost/Injured Missing Gender : Male Ethnicity : White Age at the time of disappearance: 14 years old Height / Weight : Unknown Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos : Caucasian male. Edwin goes by his middle name, Craig, and most accounts refer to him by that name. Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Craig disappeared with two other boys, the Hoag brothers Joel and William. The boys were last seen on the south side of Hannibal, Missouri between 4:20 and 5:00 p.m. They were carrying shovels and a flashlight, and said they were going to explore Murphy's Cave, near the Highway 79 construction project. Joel and William had been punished the night before for going to the cave without permission, and they weren't supposed to leave their yard. They left anyway while their parents were out. The three boys have never been heard from again. That day, the construction work resulted in a cave-in at Murphy’s Cave. Because of the circumstances, authorities theorized the three boys were trapped inside the cave when it collapsed and weren't able to get out. Extensive search-and-rescue efforts turned up no sign of any of them, however. In 2006, construction workers building a new elementary school on Highway 79 found a small cave about 50 feet long. Authorities checked it to see if the Hoag brothers or Craig were there, but they didn't find anything. Because nothing was ever found, there's speculation that the children weren't lost in the cave and something else caused their disappearances. There's no evidence to support any other theories, however. A memorial marker for the boys has been placed in the vicinity of the cave. Craig lived on Union Street in 1967. He behind left three brothers. He and Joel were both eighth-graders at Hannibal Junior High at the time of their disappearances. The three boys' cases remain unsolved. In 2010, author Charles Stewart published a book about them, titled A Sorrow of the Heart. Other information and links : ncy Hannibal Police Department September 2021 updates and sources The Hannibal Courier-Post The Lebanon Daily News October 12, 2004. June 3, 2012; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated. |