COVINGTON, Ky. — It is still painful for the sister of Paige Johnson to think about the night her sister disappeared.
"Sept. 23, 2010, is when she went missing," said Brittany Haywood. "So, this year marks 11 years."
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Johnson was 17 years old at the time and out with friends in Covington.
"She was pestering me to go, go with her," Haywood said. "And I didn't go. So, you know, have to live with that guilt of what, you know, maybe things would have been different had I went with her."
It would not be until March 22, 2020, when a passerby found Johnson's remains in a wooded area off of Mathis Road in Clermont County, Ohio.
Alicen Franks, Johnson's cousin, said she last saw Johnson with Jacob Bumpass on Sept. 23, 2010.
Clermont County authorities charged Bumpass with tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse in July 2020.
"We've always suspected that Mr. Bumpass has been at least aware of what happened to Paige if not responsible for her death," said Kenton County Prosecutor Rob Sanders at the time. "We always knew he was not being truthful with the Covington Police Department."
RELATED: Jacob Bumpass, last person seen with Paige Johnson, indicted in her 2010 disappearance
Bumpass' case is currently in the hands of the Clermont County prosecutor.
"You know, we're grateful that we found that she was found," Haywood said. "But there still is no closure, because we don't know what happened to her. And, you know, he's still not talking. And, and then we don't have her to be able to, you know, having a funeral services. That's a big milestone."
The Clermont County Prosecutor's Office said it will hold Johnson's remains in the Clermont County Sheriff's Office until the ultimate disposition of the case.
"They are telling us that her remains are part of the evidence, and that Jacob Bumpass' attorney has to be able to view her remains as well I guess, too . . . I'm not even sure. It's, it's ridiculous," Haywood said.
The Clermont County Prosecutor's office released this statement regarding the remains of Paige Johnson:
While we feel deeply for Paige’s family and the emotional strain the legal process has put and continues to put upon them, Paige’s remains will be held in the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office until an ultimate disposition in the case is reached. Everyone at the Clermont County Prosecutor’s Office sends our deepest condolences to Paige’s family and we would like them to know that our hearts are with them, as we continue to work toward justice for Paige and some sense of closure for the entirety of Paige’s family and loved ones.
