SC SC - Johnny Lamar Brown, 44, Myrtle Beach, 3 Aug 2012 - #2

[Peekerfoo]

Someone in the family has posted on Johnny's FB page. I can't quote it here (or you know I would LOL) but at least it's a START! Good work, Maureen!!

I haven't forgotten about Johnny, but my Mom has taken a turn for the worse, so I haven't been on as much as usual. Alzheimers truly is the "long goodbye".

I still look for Johnny every day while I'm out and about. I drove by some poor guy twice yesterday and he even waved. Guess I 'd make a pretty bad PI!

 

[nosysw]

So sorry about your mom, Peek. I have gone through that with two grandmothers. My father's memory is getting bad and I'm praying he doesn't end up with it, too. He was actually diagnosed by a doctor in the hospital who didn't know him at all, when he went to the ER for an infection. I thought that was ridiculous- it was about 3 years ago and I've seen no other signs but his slipping memory- but I hope it doesn't turn out that he is an amazing diagnostician and was right. Sorry for the OT and I hope you have some support in caring for your mother.

Glad to hear about someone from Johnny's family posting. Hope they are still keeping the hope and search efforts alive.

 

[Peekerfoo]

So sorry about your mom, Peek. I have gone through that with two grandmothers. My father's memory is getting bad and I'm praying he doesn't end up with it, too. He was actually diagnosed by a doctor in the hospital who didn't know him at all, when he went to the ER for an infection. I thought that was ridiculous- it was about 3 years ago and I've seen no other signs but his slipping memory- but I hope it doesn't turn out that he is an amazing diagnostician and was right. Sorry for the OT and I hope you have some support in caring for your mother.

Glad to hear about someone from Johnny's family posting. Hope they are still keeping the hope and search efforts alive.

Infections of any kind can cause havoc in older people whether they have Alz. or not. Sometimes it is temporary, so hopefully that's the case with your Dad. So sorry about your grandmas. The disease robs everyone. It's a nasty thief...

Hopefully the family will give us some pointers on how best to help them find Johnny. That would make sense, right?

 

[maureen]

Infections of any kind can cause havoc in older people whether they have Alz. or not. Sometimes it is temporary, so hopefully that's the case with your Dad. So sorry about your grandmas. The disease robs everyone. It's a nasty thief...

Hopefully the family will give us some pointers on how best to help them find Johnny. That would make sense, right?

There's a LOT of things that "would make sense" if your loved one went missing! That does NOT mean that people are doing those things!!:furious::banghead::furious::banghead::furious::banghead::furious::banghead:

 

[Peekerfoo]

There's a LOT of things that "would make sense" if your loved one went missing! That does NOT mean that people are doing those things!!:furious::banghead::furious::banghead::furious::banghead::furious::banghead:

You've really got to refrain from banging your head so much--I worry about a concussion!:floorlaugh:

I think in some ways we may be making headway. IMO I believe Johnny is being thought of (by some)as just "away "somewhere, possibly working and making friends. We don't know all of his capabilities, but others do, so maybe thats why the urgency isn't what we think it should be. We don't KNOW, but the people who do are leading me to believe that he is lost, may well be able to function OK on his own (not sure I agree, but then again, I don't know) and is possibly making enough money to survive. Even if all of these things are true, what NO ONE knows is if he's scared, lonely, missing his family, or being treated well. That's why he needs to be found.

 

[TxLady2]

You've really got to refrain from banging your head so much--I worry about a concussion!:floorlaugh:

I think in some ways we may be making headway. IMO I believe Johnny is being thought of (by some)as just "away "somewhere, possibly working and making friends. We don't know all of his capabilities, but others do, so maybe thats why the urgency isn't what we think it should be. We don't KNOW, but the people who do are leading me to believe that he is lost, may well be able to function OK on his own (not sure I agree, but then again, I don't know) and is possibly making enough money to survive. Even if all of these things are true, what NO ONE knows is if he's scared, lonely, missing his family, or being treated well. That's why he needs to be found.

Ahhhhh... good points.
Apparently we don't even know the extent of his capabilities, do we?
But if he had walked away from his home, it might be different. He was in a strange city, in a different state. He only saw a sea of strange faces who didn't understand him when he asked for help. That would be like plunking one of us down in a foreign country we've never been to and nobody we meet can speak our language. Yes, he needs to be found, and even if somebody is watching out for him, helping him, I'm sure he still misses his family.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Ahhhhh... good points.
Apparently we don't even know the extent of his capabilities, do we?
But if he had walked away from his home, it might be different. He was in a strange city, in a different state. He only saw a sea of strange faces who didn't understand him when he asked for help. That would be like plunking one of us down in a foreign country we've never been to and nobody we meet can speak our language. Yes, he needs to be found, and even if somebody is watching out for him, helping him, I'm sure he still misses his family.

I totally agree with you, TxLady! It's "fantasy thinking" to believe all is well IMO. Even if he had a whole new life, he must be missing the people he loves, his home, and his dog. He may be in survival mode, but perhaps he'd rather just be home. I wish we could find him so we could ask him where he'd really like to be...

 

[Reannan]

Just got back home from spending the weekend in Myrtle Beach. I specifically drown down to the area where Johnny was last seen, and I went to the flea market that he was seen at (I LOVE that flea market, anyways)... It is just so hard to think that Johnny is "lost" somewhere. There are TONS of places he could go for help, and someone, somewhere, would help him.... I am certain of it. If something horrible happened to Johnny, why hasn't a body been found? This is just all so frustrating!!!:banghead:

 

[ExpectingUnicorns]

This thread scares me like no other.

I have thought it could be a microcosm of society. Our new and improved, disposable society.

Johnny is disabled and, at first, lost. Family and public are involved in looking for him. Johnny is unable to communicate so his "lost" status is heightened. Then we begin to wonder if he is lost and have conflicting information about his disability to interact with society. LE and various search organizations have been involved and it appears they have chosen to draw back. We don't know why.

At this point, we really don't understand Johnny Lemar Brown's disabilities, needs or even if he's lost ~ Do we?

I hate this thread.

I hate that we don't know even if he's lost or feels like he's on a lark without his family looking over his shoulder.

As much as I despise the possibility that all my sweet WS friends might have been taken advantage of ~ I hate even worse, the fact that Johnny Lemar Brown might be suffering ~ rather than having the time of his life.

 

[TxLady2]

I totally agree with you, TxLady! It's "fantasy thinking" to believe all is well IMO. Even if he had a whole new life, he must be missing the people he loves, his home, and his dog. He may be in survival mode, but perhaps he'd rather just be home. I wish we could find him so we could ask him where he'd really like to be...

I know... and I would bet money that he is NOT where he would really like to be.
I just don't understand this at all.

 

[Peekerfoo]

This thread scares me like no other.

I have thought it could be a microcosm of society. Our new and improved, disposable society.

Johnny is disabled and, at first, lost. Family and public are involved in looking for him. Johnny is unable to communicate so his "lost" status is heightened. Then we begin to wonder if he is lost and have conflicting information about his disability to interact with society. LE and various search organizations have been involved and it appears they have chosen to draw back. We don't know why.

At this point, we really don't understand Johnny Lemar Brown's disabilities, needs or even if he's lost ~ Do we?

I hate this thread.

I hate that we don't know even if he's lost or feels like he's on a lark without his family looking over his shoulder.

As much as I despise the possibility that all my sweet WS friends might have been taken advantage of ~ I hate even worse, the fact that Johnny Lemar Brown might be suffering ~ rather than having the time of his life.

In all honesty, I thought this would be a really short thread when it first started. I figured there would be searches, media attention, and lots of support from friends and family for Johnny Brown. I never imagined he'd be missing for this long! I hate this thread, too. I hate it because it should no longer be here.

 

[Peekerfoo]

I know... and I would bet money that he is NOT where he would really like to be.
I just don't understand this at all.

I wish I had some answers for you (and me and everyone else). I won't bet against you because I think you'll win. No one can convince me that a guy who has spent all of his life in one small town, living with his family, has started a new and glorious life somewhere else. It's a fine story, but probably not reality.

 

[TxLady2]

Just got back home from spending the weekend in Myrtle Beach. I specifically drown down to the area where Johnny was last seen, and I went to the flea market that he was seen at (I LOVE that flea market, anyways)... It is just so hard to think that Johnny is "lost" somewhere. There are TONS of places he could go for help, and someone, somewhere, would help him.... I am certain of it. If something horrible happened to Johnny, why hasn't a body been found? This is just all so frustrating!!!:banghead:

EXACTLY!!! If he is dead, where is his body?!! Why doesn't he turn up somewhere??
I know this is a long shot, but is it possible that he managed to be found and returned home and nobody has let us know? Or let authorities in MB know?
That would be a miracle!!
If he found a shelter of some kind, don't those people periodically check to see if a newcomer just might be someone the police are looking for? I would think so, but maybe not.
Btw, if I had a mentally impaired child, esp. with a speech impediment, even if they were an adult, I would fashion an ID of some kind for him/her to wear, so that IF they ever wandered away or got lost, whoever found them would know who to contact. Sort of like dog tags that soldiers wear.
Maybe he's so scared by now he's not even trying to speak to anyone.

 

[TxLady2]

I wish I had some answers for you (and me and everyone else). I won't bet against you because I think you'll win. No one can convince me that a guy who has spent all of his life in one small town, living with his family, has started a new and glorious life somewhere else. It's a fine story, but probably not reality.

You're right. Going on the assumption that he is mentally impaired, I know them, I've worked with them. They rarely feel oppressed, they crave attention from the people they love. There would be no logical reason for him to want to start a new life away from his family. They love their comfort zone, and that is being with people they love. Oh, they can sometimes get attached to caregivers, but the ones with parents and siblings still prefer to be with family as long as they are treated decently... and sadly, sometimes even when they're not.
I don't believe Johnny's family was abusive to him, I believe they loved and took care of him, and that's what tells me he did not make a choice to walk away from them. If the earlier reports were correct, he did try to tell the bus driver where he wanted to go, back to Atlanta.

 

[TxLady2]

This thread scares me like no other.

I have thought it could be a microcosm of society. Our new and improved, disposable society.

Johnny is disabled and, at first, lost. Family and public are involved in looking for him. Johnny is unable to communicate so his "lost" status is heightened. Then we begin to wonder if he is lost and have conflicting information about his disability to interact with society. LE and various search organizations have been involved and it appears they have chosen to draw back. We don't know why.

At this point, we really don't understand Johnny Lemar Brown's disabilities, needs or even if he's lost ~ Do we?

I hate this thread.

I hate that we don't know even if he's lost or feels like he's on a lark without his family looking over his shoulder.

As much as I despise the possibility that all my sweet WS friends might have been taken advantage of ~ I hate even worse, the fact that Johnny Lemar Brown might be suffering ~ rather than having the time of his life.

Well, we had reports from the sister of what his capabilities were. Even though he could do some things, there was much more he couldn't do. We know his speech is impaired, so that's a disadvantage right there. When he encounters folks who don't know him and understand him, then that would probably make his efforts to speak harder and cause him frustration which might translate to aggression in a stranger's eyes. Some people are literally frightened of people with disabilities, and won't even try to help. Sad but true. To someone like that, he could look like he was drunk, high on drugs, and trying to rob them.

Sorry I'm being so long winded today, but some days my brain goes into overdrive. I want Johnny found and brought home!!

 

[Reannan]

This thread scares me like no other.

I have thought it could be a microcosm of society. Our new and improved, disposable society.

Johnny is disabled and, at first, lost. Family and public are involved in looking for him. Johnny is unable to communicate so his "lost" status is heightened. Then we begin to wonder if he is lost and have conflicting information about his disability to interact with society. LE and various search organizations have been involved and it appears they have chosen to draw back. We don't know why.

At this point, we really don't understand Johnny Lemar Brown's disabilities, needs or even if he's lost ~ Do we?

I hate this thread.

I hate that we don't know even if he's lost or feels like he's on a lark without his family looking over his shoulder.

As much as I despise the possibility that all my sweet WS friends might have been taken advantage of ~ I hate even worse, the fact that Johnny Lemar Brown might be suffering ~ rather than having the time of his life.

I completely agree ExpectingUnicorns - and that is saying something, because we have both been around WS's for a LONG time.... which means we have seen some horrifying, terrible stuff. I dare say, that we have seen the worse humanity has to offer, yet we are perplexed and terrified about the way the Johnny Lamar Brown case has unfolded. In the very few pictures I have seen of Johnny, I see a young man who is getting by, and living life the best way he knows how. I do not see anyone who needs to go into hiding for any reason. I would not be surprised to hear that Johnny liked to have a drink, or two, or that he possibly smoked a little weed now and then..... he is a simple man with complex issues, living in a complex world. I honestly believe that if I met Johnny, I would like him, and we could even be friends, despite the fact that we come from different worlds. I do NOT understand how Johnny can go missing in the middle of an area that is FILLED with people, and there is no trace of him.... and very little trace of an effort to find him - except for the few people here who keep looking, and most likely, always will. All of this is of course, my opinion only.... I wish, OH HOW I WISH that I had concrete news to report instead of my opinion!!!!

 

[Indy Anna]

If Johnny made it to a homeless shelter or found a soup kitchen, I wonder if someone may have contacted county case management services. People who run an organization like that would recognize that Johnny has a mental disability and refer him to other social agencies. If case management services did step in, they may have placed Johnny in a group home, a halfway house, nursing home or a psychiatric hospital. There was a man living in a nursing home where I once worked who was previously homeless. I'm not sure how he ended up there, but he was using a wheelchair when I started working there. It is possible someone recognized that Johnny has special needs and, if they weren't able to ascertain where he lived or otherwise communicate effectively with him, found him housing where he would receive good care. I am hoping that's what happened. Hoping that someone will see the posters and help Johnny get home.

 

[fabgod]

HI all
Its great to see so many new posts on here but sad that as everyone has mentioned, that we are still having to have these posts about what should have been on the face of it, a very easy situation to have resolved.

As someone posted earlier, if Johnny is as challenged as were were informed, he should have stuck out like a sore thumb in a strange town, he wouldnt have known where the best places to get food were, he wouldnt have known how to makle his own way to a shelter that he didnt know existed and he would have struggled terribly with getting his voice heard due to his speech impediment.

Its a massive jump to think that he could suddenly find his way to a farm and be working away happy as you like, enjoying his new found freedom - not impossible but given his apparent circumstances, very unlikely.

TXLady2 posted that if JLB is dead where is his body? its a good point but, we also have to consider that Johnny could have got lost anywhere, he could have managed to hitch a ride, been dropped off hundreds of miles away from Myrtle in any direction and not been able to get any help, the possibilities are endless for where he could be by now unfortunately.
I cant see him being home and no one knowing to be honest, there are posts recently that are mentioning God giving them a sign so they can get some closure, which doesnt sound too positive from that perspective.

I hope to God that Johnny is okay and getting by, but my gut feeling is that he isnt, it's been too long without any sightings whatsoever for me.

 

[TxLady2]

If Johnny made it to a homeless shelter or found a soup kitchen, I wonder if someone may have contacted county case management services. People who run an organization like that would recognize that Johnny has a mental disability and refer him to other social agencies. If case management services did step in, they may have placed Johnny in a group home, a halfway house, nursing home or a psychiatric hospital. There was a man living in a nursing home where I once worked who was previously homeless. I'm not sure how he ended up there, but he was using a wheelchair when I started working there. It is possible someone recognized that Johnny has special needs and, if they weren't able to ascertain where he lived or otherwise communicate effectively with him, found him housing where he would receive good care. I am hoping that's what happened. Hoping that someone will see the posters and help Johnny get home.

I doubt that he would be put into a nursing home or group home without any ID, there are tons of paperwork to get someone admitted to a place like that. They have to know who he is and most states require a doctor to sign an admission form, and most doctors would insist on an exam first. Not to mention that his care would have to be paid for somehow, and I can't imagine any facility just absorbing the costs without being able to bill the state for it. And not knowing what his name is, how are they going to do that?
If he was carrying some kind of ID, then someone should have been able to contact his family by now, so I am going to assume he does not have any type of ID on him.

 

[TxLady2]

HI all
Its great to see so many new posts on here but sad that as everyone has mentioned, that we are still having to have these posts about what should have been on the face of it, a very easy situation to have resolved.

As someone posted earlier, if Johnny is as challenged as were were informed, he should have stuck out like a sore thumb in a strange town, he wouldnt have known where the best places to get food were, he wouldnt have known how to makle his own way to a shelter that he didnt know existed and he would have struggled terribly with getting his voice heard due to his speech impediment.

Its a massive jump to think that he could suddenly find his way to a farm and be working away happy as you like, enjoying his new found freedom - not impossible but given his apparent circumstances, very unlikely.

TXLady2 posted that if JLB is dead where is his body? its a good point but, we also have to consider that Johnny could have got lost anywhere, he could have managed to hitch a ride, been dropped off hundreds of miles away from Myrtle in any direction and not been able to get any help, the possibilities are endless for where he could be by now unfortunately.
I cant see him being home and no one knowing to be honest, there are posts recently that are mentioning God giving them a sign so they can get some closure, which doesnt sound too positive from that perspective.

I hope to God that Johnny is okay and getting by, but my gut feeling is that he isnt, it's been too long without any sightings whatsoever for me.

Yes, I can picture Johnny hitching rides with truckers. He's probably riding around all over the country hoping he can recognize someplace familiar. And these truckers are feeding him, and allowing him to sleep in the bunker. Probably telling him when to shower, and maybe buying him clean clothes every few days. That is, if he's still alive.
I'm going to make the prediction that when this thread slows down or stops completely, we will one day get the word that Johnny has been found. He managed to somehow find his way home, or was in jail for some reason and finally released. I'm not giving up completely, but I think I might back off a little, not suggesting that everyone else should do the same, but something tells me we've hit a huge brick wall. The only thing to do in that situation is either climb over it, go around it.... or back up and start over.