MI MI - Bonifacio "facio" Miguel Pena, 17, Van Buren County, 19 May 2018 *POI*

[doodles1211]

"He's from the Gobles area, last seen in the near Portage.
Police described him as an Hispanic male, approximately 5-foot-8 tall, weighing approximately 180 pounds, with shorter black hair and brown eyes.

He was last seen on May 19, wearing an acid-blue jean hoodie with ripped sleeves, black stretch pants, red shoes with a black Nike cinch-style bag.

He was reported missing on May 23."

Van Buren Co. Sheriff Seeks Missing Gobles Man

 

[Darling136]

His FB

Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

[ADKGemini]

More links:

Bonifacio Miguel Pena – The Charley Project

 

[ClaireNC]

There is a Help Find FB page: Help Us Find Bonifacio Pena

 

[Darling136]

Namus
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[TatianaBarbie]

There is a Help Find FB page: Help Us Find Bonifacio Pena

Missing poster posted by the Help Us Find Bonifacio FB page (TY for finding that @ClaireNC!):

 

[Darling136]

Still missing

 

[MsRuby]

I am looking into this case and have a few questions.

1.) Are the alleged sightings verified? They had to have been credible enough to cancel the missing person report, right?
2.) Some places say he was last seen walking in Portage and some say that he was last seen getting in a car with friends in Portage. Which is it?
3.) When was the last reported sighting of him?
4.) Did he have a driver's license? Is there a national database that would flag him as a missing person if he were to apply for a new license? For example, if he went to Texas and tried to get a new license or ID, would his name come up flagged as a missing person?

Thank you

 

[MsRuby]

Also, one more question I forgot: Why is Van Buren County the contact on this? He went missing (or was last seen) in Kalamazoo County. Isn't that a jurisdictional issue?

 

[Darling136]

I am looking into this case and have a few questions.

1.) Are the alleged sightings verified? They had to have been credible enough to cancel the missing person report, right?

Where does it say that his missing report has been cancelled?

His Namus case is still active

 

[TatianaBarbie]

Also, one more question I forgot: Why is Van Buren County the contact on this? He went missing (or was last seen) in Kalamazoo County. Isn't that a jurisdictional issue?

The OP says that Facio is from the Gobles area, which is in Van Buren County. He was last seen in Portage, which is in Kalamazoo County. I am assuming that if Facio is from the Gobles area, his family is also from the Gobles area. His family must have decided to file the missing report with their local LE agency, the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office. I read the Michigan State Police advice on missing children--they said to file a report with local law enforcement. The MSP did not elaborate on what to do if your missing child is last seen in another non-local area.

I am looking into this case and have a few questions.

1.) Are the alleged sightings verified? They had to have been credible enough to cancel the missing person report, right?
2.) Some places say he was last seen walking in Portage and some say that he was last seen getting in a car with friends in Portage. Which is it?
3.) When was the last reported sighting of him?
4.) Did he have a driver's license? Is there a national database that would flag him as a missing person if he were to apply for a new license? For example, if he went to Texas and tried to get a new license or ID, would his name come up flagged as a missing person?

Thank you

1) The Help Us Find Bonifacio Pena FB page mentioned sightings. We have not heard from LE about the sightings. We do not know where and when these sightings were. We do not know what LE thinks about those sightings. All we know is that LE removes the listing from NamUs when the case is closed. Since the NamUs listing is still up, Websleuths assume the missing case is still active.

2) I read through the information that is linked from this page, and I did not see the "walking in Portage" information. I did read about Facio leaving a friend's house, and getting into a vehicle. This conflicting info, if it still exists, could be that different info was reported from different sources. It could be that the family reported certain information on the initial missing report, but more information was found later. Differing info could also be from inaccurate reporting,
which we often see here at WS, or it could be from people not telling the truth.

3) NamUs lists the date of last contact was on May 19, 2018.

4) No information has been provided to the public about whether Facio has a driver's license. I do not know if the State of Michigan checks missing persons records before issuing/renewing driver's licenses.

I would like to add that NamUs says that Facio is now 19 years old. He is under no obligation to return home. He is an adult. All he needs to do is to contact LE to clear this up, and the case will be closed. I certainly hope Facio is alive, doing well, and in a safe place.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

PORTAGE, Mich. — Portage Public Safety Director Nick Armold said the 27-year-old son of a missing Portage couple was also a person of interest in a 2018 disappearance case of a Gobles teen.

Bonifacio Pena, 17, was last seen in Portage on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

Police: Missing couple's son is a person of interest in 2018 missing Gobles teen case

Link to his missing parents thread MI - MI - Gary and Laura Johnson, mid-60's, Portage, Feb 2021

 

[YaYa_521]

I hope they can find answers for Bonifacio's loved ones.

PORTAGE, Mich. — Portage Public Safety Director Nick Armold said the 27-year-old son of a missing Portage couple was also a person of interest in a 2018 disappearance case of a Gobles teen.

Bonifacio Pena, 17, was last seen in Portage on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

Police: Missing couple's son is a person of interest in 2018 missing Gobles teen case

Link to his missing parents thread MI - MI - Gary and Laura Johnson, mid-60's, Portage, Feb 2021

In 2019, police officers searched the Gourdneck State Game Area for the teen, the same place investigators searched Feb. 12, 2021, for missing Gary and Laura Johnson. Armold said Nicholas Johnson, the son of Gary and Laura, was a person of interest in both his parent's suspected homicide and Pena's disappearance.

“As far as we were able to tell he was the last person to be seen with Pena,” Armold said.

 

[YaYa_521]

Portage, Van Buren police officials take to the sky searching for missing teen
Wednesday, April 24th 2019

Both Portage Public Safety and the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office joined forces Wednesday, flying several hundred feet above the Gourdneck State Game Area in hopes to find the body of a 17-year-old who went missing in May 2018.

 

[Ontario Mom]

Portage, Van Buren police officials take to the sky searching for missing teen
Wednesday, April 24th 2019

Both Portage Public Safety and the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office joined forces Wednesday, flying several hundred feet above the Gourdneck State Game Area in hopes to find the body of a 17-year-old who went missing in May 2018.

I can only imagine they're in the process of putting together another search, in light of what else was just found in the Gourdneck area in the Gary and Laura Johnson case.

jmo

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I wonder what led them to the Gourdneck area initially, back in 2019?

 

[Ontario Mom]

I wonder what led them to the Gourdneck area initially, back in 2019?

"Bonifacio Pena, 17, was last seen in Portage on Saturday, May 19, 2018 walking with a friend. On Wednesday, both departments took to the sky in hopes to find evidence of Pena's body in the area he was last reportedly seen, although have come up dry." Portage, Van Buren police officials take to the sky searching for missing teen

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Bonifacio Miguel Pena, 17, of Gobles, vanished May 19, 2018, in Portage, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. He was last seen leaving a friend’s house, allegedly getting into the car with some other unknown individuals.

Portage Department of Public Safety Director Nicholas Armold confirmed to News 8 Friday that Nicholas Johnson is a person of interest in the Pena case.

“The connection that we know if is that Nick Johnson was certainly a person of interest in that case and is still a person of interest in that case,” Armold said.
Man eyed in parents’ disappearance also linked to 2018 case | WJMN - UPMatters.com

cross thread:MI - MI - Gary and Laura Johnson, mid-60's, Portage, Feb 2021

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Bonifacio Miguel "Facio" Pena was last seen in the Portage area. He lives in the Gobles area.
Police seek help finding teen last seen in Portage area days ago

Both Portage Public Safety and the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office worked together in late April 2019 for an aerial search, flying above the Gordneck State Game Area in hopes of locating the body of the 17 year old. At the time, officials said they were hoping to get fresh eyes on the area following the winter snow melt to see if anything new could be spotted. There were no new discoveries in that effort.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office at 1-269-657-2006. Or if you wish to do so anonymously, call Crime Stoppers 1-800-342-7867 or Silent Observer - 1-269-343-2100.
17 Year Old Missing From Portage Since May 2018

 

[mlhenn]

Bonifacio Miguel Pena – The Charley Project

Last updated February 13, 2021; picture added, details of disappearance updated.

Details of Disappearance
Bonifacio was last seen in Portage, Michigan on May 19, 2018. He was staying with a woman and a friend, Nicholas Johnson. On the day of his disappearance, the woman gave both of them bandanas and Bonifacio and Nicholas left the residence together on foot.

Later that day, Nicholas returned to the woman's home alone, and said Bonifacio had gotten into a car with unidentified friends. He had Bonifacio's bandana and was acting extremely anxious. Bonifacio has never been heard from again. After his disappearance, Nicholas tried to claim his belongings, and the woman had to act secretly to return them to Bonifacio's mother.

In February 2021, Nicholas's parents, Gary and Laura Johnson, disappeared from their Portage residence; they have not been found. When police went to their home to do a welfare check, they found signs of violence inside it. Nicholas was arrested on outstanding warrants in the days after they went missing. He had a history of violence towards his parents, and he's considered a person of interest in their disappearances. Authorities stated he was a person of interest in Bonifacio's disappearance as well. He has not faced charges in either case, however.

It's uncharacteristic of Bonifacio to leave without warning, and investigators believe he may be deceased. His case remains unsolved.