On May 10, 1967, 11-year-old William Billy Hoag of Hannibal, Missouri, vanished while last seen on the city’s south side with his 13-year-old brother Joel Joey Hoag and their 14-year-old friend Edwin Craig Dowell. The boys were observed between about 4:20 and 5:00 p.m. carrying shovels and a flashlight and said they were going to explore Murphy’s Cave near the Highway 79 construction area. The brothers had reportedly been punished the day before for visiting the cave without permission and were not supposed to leave their yard, yet left while their parents were away and met up with Craig.

Extensive searches followed: rescue workers, volunteers and cave specialists inspected caves and surrounding terrain, and thousands of people were involved. A cave-in at Murphy’s Cave that day and the boys’ stated plan led authorities to consider accidental entrapment, but no clothing, equipment, remains or conclusive evidence was ever recovered. A small cave found in 2006 near Highway 79 was checked without results. William was a student at A.D. Stowell Elementary, active in Royal Ambassadors, and one of nine siblings connected to Hoag’s Tavern on Main Street.

What details do readers remember about the south side or the Murphy’s Cave area in 1967 that might help explain what happened to the three boys?