COVINGTON, Ky. -- Wednesday will mark five years since the disappearance of 17-year-old Paige Johnson from an intersection in Covington.
"It is still an open case," said Covington police detective Justin Bradbury. "You don't know if she's alive or dead. I don't know that, I don't. And until I have some piece of evidence that shows me otherwise, I have to assume that either could be the case."
Johnson was last seen near 15th and Scott Streets in Covington on Sept. 23, 2010. In that five-year span, police and the family have circulated flyers with her photo in hopes that someone will recognize her.
Police said that they recieve a steady influx of tips right around Johnson's disappearance every year. They're hoping that this year, the anniversary might spark someone's memory and bring new information to the case.
“Even if you think it’s something someone else might have passed along, you never know that for sure," Bradbury said. "You might be holding a key piece of information that we need to know so that we can pursue it and check into it and see if it matches, and it may be the lead that we’ve been waiting for.”
At the time of her disappearance, Johnson had a baby daughter. Today, the little girl, now 5, is motivation for Bradbury to find answers, he said.
"I think her daughter deserves answers," he said. "I think that it's very hard to grow up and not know where your mother is."
