The last man to see Kentucky teenager Paige Johnson alive in 2010 was convicted on Monday of dumping her body in a state park.
Jacob Bumpass, 35, was convicted of abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He faces a maximum of four years in prison at his sentencing hearing on September 7.
Bumpass was arrested in 2020, weeks after Johnson’s remains were found in East Fork State Park, about 20 miles east of Cincinnati.
Investigators said it was unlikely Bumpass would ever be charged with Johnson’s murder because authorities could not determine the teen’s cause of death.
Johnson was last seen alive on September 23, 2010. She was 17 at the time. Her family said Bumpass picked up Johnson to drive her to her sister’s apartment.
Bumpass’s cellphone rang near Johnson’s home around 1 a.m. on September 23, then later at his home, authorities say, never coming near his sister’s apartment.
At around 4:15 a.m., Bumpass’s cell phone used towers near East Fork State Park, investigators said. Johnson’s body was found about a mile from the cell tower used by Bumpass at 4:18 a.m. that day.
The case against Bumpass relied heavily on cellphone data and testimony that placed Bumpass and Johnson together at Bumpass’s home around 1:50 a.m., according to the Enquirer.
Johnson remained missing until March 22, when a deer hunter fell on her skull in the park. Additional bones were found in the area, and dental records confirmed it to be Johnson’s body.
Bumpass maintained his innocence throughout the trial, and his lawyer announced his intention to appeal.