Edwin Craig Dowell, known as Craig, was 14 when he disappeared from the south side of Hannibal, Missouri, on May 10, 1967. He left about 4:20–5:00 p.m. with two younger boys, brothers Joel Joey Hoag, 13, and William Billy Hoag, 11, carrying shovels and a flashlight and saying they were going to explore Murphy’s Cave near State Highway 79 construction.

Construction reportedly exposed or opened cave passages and a cave-in that day led authorities to focus on the possibility the boys were trapped underground. An extensive search followed — described as one of the largest cave searches in U.S. history — but no remains or other physical trace of the three were ever found. Later searches and discoveries of small caves or new entrances, including checks in 2006 and an examination in 2022 near Lover’s Leap, produced nothing that resolved the case.

Craig lived on Union Street and left behind three brothers. The disappearance remains an unresolved tragedy that continues to draw attention whenever new leads or entrances surface.