Did Justin Run Away? Or Was He Murdered By His Friends In A Forest?

Justin Lee Richardson

He was born on June 6th, 1988. Following his parents divorce, Justin lived with his father in Tusayan. His father would let him come and go as he please. Justin had tried to run away a few times, but it didn't work. He was described as a popular teen with many friends. 

On June 29th, 2001 13 year old Justin and three friends, who were all between the ages of 18 and 21, had gone into to an area a few miles south of Grand Canyon National Park and five miles west of Moqui Lodge (which has since been torn down). Authorities believe he had been partying and was under the influence of drugs, possibly methamphetamine.

Justin and his three friends got separated, and two of them got lost. Justin and another friend went to Tusayan, Arizona and asked another friend to help look for the missing pair. In the meantime, the two missing ones were located by Grand Canyon Railway employees south of Tusayan, Arizona, but Justin didn't know this.

Justin and another of his friends returned to the Kaibab National Forest, at a spot five miles from Tusayan and fifteen miles from where their friends had been found some time earlier. His companion went to sleep at 9:00 a.m. When he woke up at 5:00 p.m., Justin was gone. His companion  was able to make his way to a dirt road, where he hitched a ride back to Tusayan. He never reported Justin missing.

Justin has never been heard from again. His father didn't report him missing on July 1st. An extensive search of the area turned up no sign of him.

Justin had been to the area four times before he disappeared, and was very familiar with it. Authorities aren't sure whether he did in fact lose track of his surroundings. It's possible that Justin was picked up hitchhiking by a passing motorist and he may have tried to go to Chicago, Illinois to see his girlfriend.

Investigators believe foul play is possible in Justin's case and could have been killed in the forest shortly after his disappearance. 

Investigators believe he'd been abusing drugs and alcohol for about a year prior to going missing. 

After interviewing the men with Justin the day he disappeared, authorities at the time ruled out foul play, although they continue to keep track of persons of interest in the case more than 15 years later. One of the men is deceased, although that incident doesn’t appear to be related to Justin’s case.

In 2014, Justin’s case was turned over to the cold case unit, which uncovered evidence that he did in fact return to Moqui Lodge after he was last seen, although they declined to say what the evidence was.

Justin's case remains unsolved.
At the time of his disappearance Justin was 4'10" tall, 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. His hair was shaved on the sides and long on top. He was wearing a red Chicago Bulls basketball jersey and denim shorts.

Justin would be 29 years old.

The CCSO cold case unit believes some unidentified person in the area may have important information. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the CCSO cold case division at (928) 774-4523