The disappearance of three Hannibal boys has caused fascination, frustration, and speculation for more than 50 years.  A podcast that treats the case as a crime as opposed to curious boys forever lost in a cave has earned top honors nationally.

The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts recently announced "The Lost Boys of Hannibal" podcast has won an Award of Excellence for a documentary in the 26th Annual Communicator Awards.

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Lost Boys is a true crime podcast hosted by Franki Cambeletta and Chris Koetters of Louianna, Mo.  It's produced in St. Louis by Shift Films.  The podcast is in its second season.  You can listen to it by clicking here.

The Lost Boys of Hannibal is based on the story of 13-year-old Joey Hoag, his brother Billy, 11 and their friend 14-year-old Craig Dowell.  The boys disappeared while exploring a cave system that was exposed during the construction of Highway 79.  It sparked a nation-wide search of the caves in 1967.  Though there have always been rumors about what may have happened, the widely held theory is that the boys were hopelessly lost and died in the cave.  The founders of the podcast believe the boys were the victim of a crime and that someone has a lead that can solve the mystery.

In 2017, author John Wingate released a book about the case.  It's also called "Lost Boys of Hannibal" and is available on Amazon.  The podcast is not affiliated with th.

Founded over two decades ago, The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

Over 6,000 entries were received from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, In-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms, and public relations firms.

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