Thirteen-year-old Paul Johnson, known as Little Paul, disappeared in the Mississippi River on July 9, 2017. He was swimming with family at a beach access near Devil’s Backbone Park in Grand Tower, Illinois, when strong current pulled him and his 50-year-old uncle, David Totten, downriver. Witnesses last saw them at about 2:30 p.m.; neither resurfaced. Totten’s body was recovered from the river two days later on July 11, 2017. Despite an extensive search led by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office that used rescue boats with sonar, an Illinois State Police search plane and U.S. Coast Guard assistance, there was no sign of Paul.

At the time he went missing Paul was described as between 4 feet 2 inches and 4 feet 7 inches tall, weighing about 85 to 90 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a small scar on his chin. The family’s loss remains unresolved and the community continues to remember him. If anyone was at Devil’s Backbone Park on July 9, 2017 and saw anything that could help locate Paul, please come forward with information.