'He knew where she was': Mom of Kentucky teen Paige Johnson fights back tears as suspect in her daughter's disappearance ten years ago is indicted over her death

The mom of a Kentucky teen whose 2010 disappearance made international headlines has broken down after a man was officially charged in connection to her daughter's death. 

Paige Johnson, 17, vanished after attending a house party in Covington in September 2010, but her skeletal remains were not discovered until March 25 of this year. 

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged Johnson's friend, Jacob Bumpass, 32, with abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. 

Bumpass pleaded not guilty to both charges during his arraignment hearing, and was subsequently released on $50,000 bail. 

He is due to return to court on August 10. 

Paige's mother, Donna Johnson, held a press conference where she sobbed as she spoke about Bumpass' charges. 

'I filled up with so much joy when I found out that he was arrested because I've known from the very first day that he knew where she was and he wouldn't cooperate with us,' Donna stated, according to WKRC. 

'He put us through so much pain,' she added. 

Donna Johnson (left) broke down in tears after Jacob Bumpass (right) was charged in relation to the death of her daughter, Paige Johnson. Bumpass has plead not guilty to tampering with a corpse and concealing evidence. He was released on bail 

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Paige Johnson (pictured) vanished after attending a house party in Covington in September 2010, but her skeletal remains were not discovered until March 25 of this year

Bumpass was the last person to see Paige alive after driving her home from the Covington party they both attended together. 

When police questioned Bumpass, who was 22 at the time, he told them he dropped her off at the intersection of 15th Street and Scott Boulevard in Covington, Kentucky.

But investigators said phone records placed Bumpass across state lines, near East Fork State Park in neighboring Ohio. 

That discovery lead investigators to search for Paige in that area - however her body was not located at the time. 

The case then went cold until March of this year, when a passerby found human remains in a wooded area near Williamsburg Township, Ohio - close to East Fork State Park. 

Investigators used dental records to determine the remains belonged to Paige Johnson. 

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When police questioned Bumpass, he told them he dropped Paige off at the intersection of 15th Street and Scott Boulevard in Covington, Kentucky. But investigators said phone records placed Bumpass across state lines, near East Fork State Park in neighboring Ohio

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'He put us through so much pain': Paige's mom, Donna Johnson, sobbed as she spoke about Bumpass during a press conference 

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Bumpass had not been named as a suspect in Paige's disappearance until Tuesday. He has been in and out jail on unrelated incidents, WLWT reports 

Bumpass had not been named as a suspect until Tuesday but had been questioned about Paige's disappearance. 

He has been in and out jail on unrelated incidents, WLWT reports.

Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said he hopes homicide charges will follow but a cause of death had not been determined.

He added: 'We don't know if she was shot or stabbed or died of a drug overdose. So we're going to go with the charges we know prosecutors can convict on.' 

Paige's sister Brittany Haywood told cincinnati.com: 'I have known from the beginning who the guilty party was in my sister's disappearance.

'Right now I am in a complete state of euphoria knowing that Jacob Bumpass has been arrested and will finally have to answer for his actions after remaining silent for nearly 10 years.'

At the time she vanished, Paige was the mother of a two-year-old girl. 

The daughter is now approaching her teens and lives with her grandfather.

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Kentucky’s Covington police said Johnson’s body was found near Williamsburg Township, Ohio, about 30 miles east of where she was last seen

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Ohio’s Clermont County Sheriff’s office said they were contacted in March by a person who said they found human remains in a wooded area near Williamsburg Township, pictured