NM NM - Jean Johnson, 70, Capitan, Lincoln County, 27 May 2019

[PommyMommy]

Noting (from JerseyGirl's link above):

• After five months of searching, LE and Jean's family are not giving up.
• Her car and all personal belongings were still at her home.
• “I mean, it looked normal, her stuff was there nothing was missing or messed up,” her daughter ("HJ") said.
• Ever since, HJ has been organizing searches, involving hundreds of volunteers.
• “There is still a lot of evidence we are pursuing,” said Sheriff Robert Shepperd.
• A detective is working the case every day but they still have no physical evidence to prove a crime happened. However, they suspect one did.
• “In a way, we suspect everybody until we can narrow it down and get a prime suspect,” said Sheppard.
• “She didn’t have men in her life. My dad had died seven and a half years ago and she was still in love with him,” said HJ.
• New Mexico Game and Fish posted about Johnson on Facebook, asking hunters to be on the lookout.

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 16, 2019
Jean Johnson on Brainscratch Searchlight

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[PommyMommy]

Jean A Johnson
NamUs #MP58507

Date of Last Contact May 27, 2019
Missing From Capitan, New Mexico
Missing Age 70 Years
Current Age 70 Years

Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 130 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian
Hair Color Gray or Partially Gray
Eye Color Blue
Scar/mark Mastectomy scar; Left breast missing, Right breast intact. One of her large toes has a previous fracture; unknown which side.
Jewelry Perhaps wearing a medallion with cremation ashes; round/gray

Date of Last Contact May 27, 2019
NamUs Case Created July 3, 2019
Last Known Location Map
Location Capitan, New Mexico 88316
County Lincoln County

Circumstances of Disappearance Jean Johnson disappeared from home in Capitan, New Mexico on 05/27/2019 around 5:30 PM without her wallet, car, or cellular telephone phone.

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

 

[PommyMommy]

SEP 30, 2019
Daughter continues to search for mother Jean Johnson who vanished from New Mexico home four months ago

• Jean’s locked car was in the driveway, her purse and cell phone inside.
• Her daughter said she found the door to the home was slightly ajar.
• Inside, all of her mother’s things appeared to be in their place.
• LE suspected suicide until the gun was turned in to them 2 months later.
• The name of the person who turned in the gun was not released by LE.
• Her daughter said,“She only used that gun for protection. She would not have gotten it out unless someone came to her house and she feared for her life. Or she would just use it around the property, because she would sometimes see mountain lions.”
• Authorities searched the 10 acres of land where Jean’s house is, eventually spreading out beyond the area using a helicopter, drones & tracking dogs.

 

[Curious Me]

Jean didn't seem to tell anyone she was concerned for her safety or that someone was threatening her. Was it a new development?

Jean had the gun out of the hope chest in a pouch sitting on top of the laundry bag. Was she going to take it with her to do laundry? Did she get it out of the hope chest because she felt threatened? Lo and behold, she goes missing. Hmm...

Daughter still searching for New Mexico mother who vanished four months ago

"Heidi said the only item that appeared to be missing was a .357-caliber pistol her mother kept in her hope chest. She said authorities suspected suicide until the gun was eventually located inside a pouch on top of a laundry bag. Heidi said her mother had the laundry packed to bring to her house to wash that week."

"She only used that gun for protection," Heidi told Dateline. "She would not have gotten it out unless someone came to her house and she feared for her life. Or she would just use it around the property, because she would sometimes see mountain lions."

 

[PommyMommy]

Did Jean leave the dog inside and just wander off without even her glasses or cell phone? There were searches for her soon after. She should have been found.

PommyMommy, I think what you said -
"I wonder if someone had a romantic interest in Jean and was rebuffed? Just a random thought... MOO" -
might be a possibility. I wonder if LE is considering that angle.

It can only be either
(1) Jean wandered off or
(2) Jean was taken.

Daughter still searching for New Mexico mother who vanished four months ago
"Their next search is scheduled for October 26."
​

Hoping and praying that they find something in today's search. Tomorrow will mark five months missing. MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

OCT 8, 2019
New Mexico woman missing for nearly 5 months
[...]

Ever since, HJ has been organizing searches, involving hundreds of volunteers, to search for any sign of her missing mother.

[...]

Sheriff Sheppard says despite the detective on the case working it every day, they still have no physical evidence to prove any kind of crime happened. But, still, they suspect one did.

“In a way, we suspect everybody until we can narrow it down and get a prime suspect,” said Sheppard.

[...]

HJ is trying not to lose hope but says it’s getting harder as the months go by.

“I’ve had this like movie reel of 50,000 things that could’ve happened to my mother that plays through my mind, and I would really like to know what happened so that that would stop,” said HJ.

New Mexico Game and Fish even posted about Johnson on Facebook, asking hunters to be on the lookout.

[...]

 

[JerseyGirl]

Jean Johnson, 70, was at her home in Capitan, New Mexico dog sitting for a friend on May 26, 2019, when she disappeared. She was supposed to drop the dog off with the friend, but never did. When her daughter, Heidi, arrived to check on her, the gate was locked, the locked car was parked in the driveway, her purse and cell phone inside. The door was open and the dog was there, but Jean was not. The only item that appeared to be missing was a .357-caliber pistol Jean kept in her hope chest. She said authorities suspected suicide until the gun was turned in to police two months later. The name of the person who turned the gun in was not released by authorities.

Authorities searched 10 acres of land where Jean lived, but could not find her. Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies say there have been no updates in the case. Jean is described as 5’6” tall, weighing 130 pounds with light brown hair and green eyes.

Six years of Dateline's Missing in America: 134 still missing

 

[Luckyzmom]

Still in my prayers, where are you Jean?

 

[CastlesBurning]

Seven years of Dateline's Missing in America: 156 still missing

 

[PommyMommy]

FEB 17, 2020
71-year-old woman still missing, daughter offers $6,000 reward | KOB 4
[...]

Lincoln County sheriff, Robert Shepperd told KOB 4 in September how difficult this case has been.

"This isn't a typical investigation for us,” he said. “When it's a missing person, by this time they're either found somewhere at a family's house or maybe in a hospital somewhere."

Heidi is now offering a $6,000 reward to find her mother.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

Jean A. Johnson – The Charley Project

Jean A. Johnson

Johnson, circa 2019

• Missing Since 05/26/2019
• Missing From Capitan, New Mexico
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race White
• Date of Birth 01/14/1949 (71)
• Age 70 years old
• Height and Weight 5'6, 130 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description Possibly a silver wedding band with three diamonds and a clear glass pendant with her late husband's cremation ashes.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Graying brown hair, green eyes. Johnson has had a left mastectomy; her right breast is intact. She has previously fractured one of her big toes. Her ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance
Johnson was last seen in Capitan, New Mexico at 5:30 p.m. on May 27, 2019. She had been watching a friend's dog at her home on Towhee Road while the friend was away on a trip. That day she sent her daughter a photo of herself and the dog. This is the last time her daughter heard from her. They normally spoke multiple times a day.

Johnson did not speak to her daughter at all the following day, and she didn't drop the dog off at her friend's home that day alike she was supposed to. A day after that, concerned about her, Johnson's daughter went to her home to check on her.

When she arrived, she found the gate to Johnson's driveway locked. Johnson's car was parked in the driveway, also locked, with her cellular phone and purse inside. The front door to the residence was slightly ajar, but everything inside appeared to be as normal. There was no sign of Johnson, although her friend's dog was there and had had several accidents inside the house.

The only thing that appeared to be missing was a .357 pistol which Johnson kept in her hope chest. She used it for protection, from both potential intruders and from wild animals such as mountain lions in the remote area where she lived. The missing gun led authorities to suspect suicide in Johnson's disappearance, but they discounted this theory when a person, who has not been publicly identified, turned the gun in to police two months later.

An extensive search of Johnson's ten-acre property turned up no indication of Johnson's whereabouts. According to her daughter, although she was occasionally forgetful, she had no history of wandering away. She enjoyed a quiet, simple life, doing yard work and spending time with family. She lived alone, had only a few friends, and had not dated anyone since her husband's death seven years earlier.

The circumstances of Johnson's case are unclear. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

 

[Luckyzmom]

Where the heck did Jean go ? Prayers .for her and family :-[.

 

[Luckyzmom]

There are lots of mines active and not being worked in Lincoln County. Wonder if any of the miners have been interrogated by LE ? Lot of open spaces out there

 

[CastlesBurning]

Another year passes...

Eight years of Dateline's Missing in America: 169 still missing

 

[Luckyzmom]

Where are you ? Prayers for family and friends

 

[halfbrilliant]

Still thinking of you Jean. This is a maddening case, but I agree the fact she (or at least, presumably she) had gotten her gun out points towards criminal possibilities. So sad, like all cases of missing people.

 

[PommyMommy]

DEC 5, 2022

https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/nine-years-dateline-s-missing-america-188-still-missing-n1301708

Jean Johnson

Jean Johnson, 70, was at her home in Capitan, New Mexico dog sitting for a friend on May 26, 2019, when she disappeared. She was supposed to drop the dog off with the friend but never did. When Jean’s daughter Heidi arrived to check on her, the gate was locked, the locked car was parked in the driveway, her purse and cell phone inside. The door was open and the dog was there, but Jean was not. The only item that appeared to be missing was a .357-caliber pistol Jean kept in her hope chest. Heidi said authorities suspected suicide until the gun was turned in to police two months later. The name of the person who turned the gun in was not released by authorities. Authorities searched 10 acres of land around where Jean lived, but could not find her. In November 2022, Sheriff Michael Wood of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office told Dateline that there have not been any recent leads but that he will follow up on any that are received. Jean is described as 5’6, 130 lbs., with light brown hair and green eyes. If you have information on Jean’s whereabouts, please contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at (575) 648-2341.

 

[Caring1]

Bump for Jean