SC SC - Johnny Lamar Brown, 44, Myrtle Beach, 3 Aug 2012 - #1

[Peekerfoo]

Devil's Advocate here :devil:

I think the family may be stretched to their limits, and not to be cruel, we don't know what those limits are. We know Johnny has some cognitive limitations, but we don't know what the abilities of other family members are. It may just be that they are using every ounce of energy they have to focus on prayer and going back and forth with LE and search organizations and just are not able to keep anyone else in the loop. There may also be a lot of grief and incapacitating (sp?) depression...

Peekerfoo, you and Miss James are two of the most amazing women I have "met"...do not let the seeming indifference of the family to following up with WS contacts get you down. My family thinks we are all a bunch of crazy people who can't mind their own business (oh, did I type that out loud, lol?!) We keep doing what we are doing because we want to make a difference...kind of like why I'm a social worker in an impoverished, failing, inner city school district. Like the old legend about the starfish on the beach...we can't help them all but if there's a chance to help even one, here or there, it's nothing to sneeze at.

You could very well be right about that, nosysw. When I speak with Julie, my heart goes out to her and I'd like to hug her through the phone. We talk about things, make a plan, and then nothing. I feel like it's pretty basic-- You need help and we'll give it. I tried really hard to relieve them of some of their burden. I encouraged her to take her parents home and not leave them here at the beach because I didn't think it would be good for Miss Ruby's health. If they did decide to stay here without Julie I offered to help them with transportation since they'd be here with no car. Julie mentioned that there were prostitutes near their hotel and I said again that she needed to take her parents back home with her. I offered to be her "family member" here so they could go home. She agreed that would probably be best for them. I said
"PLEASE tell me if Miss Ruby and your dad stay here or go home because I will worry about them" and she said she would. I know they have a lot going on, I really do, but I'd rather she'd say they have this all under control rather than leavng people hanging. We can't help it if we're worried sick about Johnny, and even if we're not real family, we seem to be taking a pretty big interest in his well-being. This what you do here. I feel like they need a spokesperson in Georgia who is not so emotionally invested. I think Julie has a lot on her plate, so perhaps she should find someone who can coordinate things for her. It's the time that keeps ticking away that bothers me. There is no time to waste. I do feel better now that CUE is involved and hopefully TES will be here soon, too. I get it, nosysw. I am not sure if this is the problem, but I do hear you. thank you for the lovely words....right back at ya!

ed. to add--a few minutes ago I was near tears and my husband asked me what was wrong, and I said "I don't know what else to do" His answer? "Close that laptop"

 

[Simp]

:bangheadeekerfoo, you need to stop beating yourself up. You really do. You have mentioned example after example of not only all you've done to try to help find Johnny but about some other pretty amazing things you've done for other people. You can't go back and, to be honest, there is no guarantee that had you known it would have worked out perfectly either. He could have run off immediately and dropped out of sight as he has seemingly done. You are NOT responsible for this situation. Repeat that to yourself over and over until you get the good night's sleep you deserve.

Lol.. Well said!! You type faster than me! These guys on this thread are inspiring!!!

 

[GateKeeper]

We know he's tried as recently as when he was at Denny's .The report from family is that he wanted to use the phone and their manager thought he was drunk and kicked him out .
He may be getting a lot of that . It's been a month .He probably looks pretty rough now .Jmo

BBM
Maybe this is making him difficult to "see".
Im wondering what he may look like NOW. A months worth of facial hair can really change a mans appearance.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Well, I'm sure there are other days in your life that you wish you could go back and start over again, I'm sure we all have those days. Unfortunately, you know you can't. So, you just have to keep moving forward. As far as the umbrella, I just don't know what to tell you. Obviously he could have just picked it up somewhere and just as easily laid it down somewhere else. I think it's a good idea for reports to say he could be dressed in different clothes since we have to wonder where he got the jeans in the first place. And Peek, it may not have been him you saw... But it may have been. I think I read here that the dogs had tracked his scent in the area that you saw him, so it probably was. That probably makes it even harder for you because you feel like you were so close. But, we all know there have been others that were close too. For some reason, it wasn't meant for you to stop that day. Now, we don't know what that reason is, but that's just the way it happened. That doesn't mean you made a wrong choice at all!!!
Tonight when I pray for Johnny, I pray peace for you. I pray that you will rest well tonight, it's time for you to let your regrets go. No matter how this turns out, you did not do anything wrong.

You're right about the dogs and I didn't even know he had a cap with him and i saw him with that cap on. I guess i need to say the Serenity prayer tonight to remind me that there are certain things we cannot change. Thank you, Simp. I know your prayers will help. I do need peace because all I feel is guilt, guilt, guilt. I am so glad that I contacted WS and finally got registered. I would be lost trying to help on my own. You are a wonderful crew here. Truly.

 

[Peekerfoo]

:bangheadeekerfoo, you need to stop beating yourself up. You really do. You have mentioned example after example of not only all you've done to try to help find Johnny but about some other pretty amazing things you've done for other people. You can't go back and, to be honest, there is no guarantee that had you known it would have worked out perfectly either. He could have run off immediately and dropped out of sight as he has seemingly done. You are NOT responsible for this situation. Repeat that to yourself over and over until you get the good night's sleep you deserve.

You're right, too (along with Simp--I'm reading backwards LOL) I guess it's better to have seen him than not to have seen him at all. It gave them a place to search and they got that info from the Denny's about him being there. You are all such understanding and caring people. I want this one to have a happy ending. You all deserve that and so does Johnny.lease:

 

[Peekerfoo]

Okay, maybe I'm misunderstanding but I thought the idea was that someone could (sorry in advance) start in the water somewhere else and the body could end up in Hilton Head.

Yikes, good point! I wasn't thinking of it that way.

 

[Simp]

Good night Peek!!! Sleep well tonight!!

 

[Peekerfoo]

BBM
Maybe this is making him difficult to "see".
Im wondering what he may look like NOW. A months worth of facial hair can really change a mans appearance.

That's true. The guy I saw had facial hair and that was almost two weeks ago. It's also great that you brought this up because even in my mind I look for the Johnny in the pictures instead of the guy with facial hair! I guess because I only saw him like that once, but I see his picture here all the time!
That was a valuable reminder! He will most likely NOT look like the pictures at this point.

 

[GateKeeper]

That's true. The guy I saw had facial hair and that was almost two weeks ago. It's also great that you brought this up because even in my mind I look for the Johnny in the pictures instead of the guy with facial hair! I guess because I only saw him like that once, but I see his picture here all the time!
That was a valuable reminder! He will most likely NOT look like the pictures at this point.

Spot On!!!

What about a sketch of Johnny..but,"aged" enhanced. ...?

 

[rachaellouise]

Hey guys, you all need to stop beating yourselves up and thinking "what ifs" and if there's anything you could have done/do.

You are doing such a great job for Johnny, and when he's found and he sees how all you people have reached out to make sure he's home he'll be pleased as punch!

 

[TxLady2]

I hate to say it, but I think it is possible that he may have thought they got mad at him for getting lost and since they hadn't found him by now, maybe they don't want to.

I remember being a kid and getting lost (still do quite often with my complete lack of direction) and thinking my parents must have gotten mad and just left me there. As a grown up, I realize how ridiculous that is, but, parents are always telling kids, "If you don't hurry up, we're going to leave without you" and sensitive kids tend to believe it. Maybe Johnny has that same mentality. It pains me to think that, but I can't get it out of my head. Runaways often go through the same thought process.

I hope I'm wrong and that he calls soon...

You are so right! There is no telling what is going on in his mind right now.

I don't mean to place blame on anyone either, but I can't get it out of my head that he was allowed to go to a crowded tourist attraction by himself. I worked with mentally challenged and some of them are very insecure. They want to think they're capable of taking care of themselves, but when they're in a situation that they're not familiar with they become as frightened as children.

I'm praying that Johnny is alright, but time is slipping away and the chances that he could be badly hurt somewhere are a reality we have to face.

 

[sreshowtime]

I CAN NOT get over the fact that it appears NO Silver Alert was issued. If he did not meet the specific criteria for such, then IMHO LE should state that..or issue one.

 

[MissJames]

Devil's Advocate here :devil:

I think the family may be stretched to their limits, and not to be cruel, we don't know what those limits are. We know Johnny has some cognitive limitations, but we don't know what the abilities of other family members are. It may just be that they are using every ounce of energy they have to focus on prayer and going back and forth with LE and search organizations and just are not able to keep anyone else in the loop. There may also be a lot of grief and incapacitating (sp?) depression...

Peekerfoo, you and Miss James are two of the most amazing women I have "met"...do not let the seeming indifference of the family to following up with WS contacts get you down. My family thinks we are all a bunch of crazy people who can't mind their own business (oh, did I type that out loud, lol?!) We keep doing what we are doing because we want to make a difference...kind of like why I'm a social worker in an impoverished, failing, inner city school district. Like the old legend about the starfish on the beach...we can't help them all but if there's a chance to help even one, here or there, it's nothing to sneeze at.

All I can say is ,there's a disconnect between what we are being told by family and what's going on.

When I call JB's sister she has not had a problem giving me lists of places to check out,places to contact and other things to do. She's always asked I continue ,even with things only the family can really do ,like contacting TES.

I've had questions that would really help us figure some things out and I get "I don't know" .
From my conversations I gather the family has never contacted the Georgetown police to find out what happened that first night.
How did Johnny get to Georgetown.
How did the Georgetown police get involved?
Why did they only accept he didn't work at the hotel?
Why not ask if he could be a guest since he had a room key?
Why did they drop him off? What did they say to him?
Did they make any "suggestions" that would make him scared of the police?

After a dozen conversations I was never told Johnny was going to Family Kingdom by himself the night he became lost.
That wold have been good to know when I went to Myrtle Beach to look for him.

I don't doubt the family is stretched to their limits ,but it was too much trouble to bring us a scent item to MB when we were just 24 hours behind Johnny. ????
At that point I decided there wasn't a lot more I could do.
I was literally shaking when we got a solid positive ID at the flea market ,only too be told it would be too long of a trip to bring a scent item.

Nonni Brenda was willing to drop everything to bring a scent item and even went to Johnny's home to get them. In hindsight I wish we had followed through with that plan.
I felt certain enough people now knew that Johnny was a missing person and he would return to the area where they would see him again.I was wrong .Johnny hasn't returned.

As with Peekerfoo,my conversations with JBs sister have always been positive.

Given all she asked me to do with each phone call I thought she wanted the help.
I've been following her lead,but when they don't follow up with anything ,it does make me wonder what's really going on.

The family doesn't owe us anything,not even a phone call ,if they don't want our help, I'll stop . I'm just getting weary of the mixed messages and becoming somewhat skeptical.
On top of that ,I was told MBPD said I was undermining their case,and that's the last thing I would want to do,so maybe it's for the best.

Just being honest ,here. I hope I'm wrong and I really hope Johnny is found soon. No matter what,he needs to be home.

 

[MissJames]

I CAN NOT get over the fact that it appears NO Silver Alert was issued. If he did not meet the specific criteria for such, then IMHO LE should state that..or issue one.

I agree .The thing is,to do that MBPD would need to have a specific request for SLED. They would need a specific skill like the SAR dogs,or something like that.

That's what I was told when I called the number for the silver alert. They had the basic BOLO info and knew what I was talking about ,but their services were not requested.

What do you think would change if there was a silver alert? I think what WE believe would happen ,isn't what really happens.

Right now I think (guessing) MBPD is following up on some tips and contacting other police depts when sightings are in a different jurisdiction.

CUE is involved now and TES knows about Johnny ,and they all know what they're doing . I leave it in their hands.

 

[MissJames]

Yikes, good point! I wasn't thinking of it that way.

Maybe somebody further out in a boat,but someone going into the surf at MB would probably ashore long before HH.

 

[Oriah]

Easy, folks, on becoming angry or frustrated with family/friends/LE.
Every family of a missing person does not respond to offers of assistance the same way as another family. We don't have any details on (nor do we need them, imo) Johnny's family situation.

Johnny is still missing. So.. how can we expand our efforts to help find him?

 

[MissJames]

Easy, folks, on becoming angry or frustrated with family/friends/LE.
Every family of a missing person does not respond to offers of assistance the same way as another family. We don't have any details on (nor do we need them, imo) Johnny's family situation.

Johnny is still missing. So.. how can we expand our efforts to help find him?

I'm not angry ,but I am frustrated and confused.

BBM

What a difference between the Linnea Lomax case and this one. There have been organized searches ,SAR immediately brought in,etc...

Why the difference ? Any ideas?

 

[fabgod]

Somebody posted that a bus driver picked Johnny up here on W/S, I remember seeing the post but I cant find it now, I have looked but Just don't see it.

Does anyone know of this incident?
If it did happen, can we find out which bus, what direction, which day, where from etc,
This could have been Johnnys Route out of Surfside, it may give us a clue as to where to concentrate efforts.

From what I think I read, it didnt seem like the bus driver took him anywhere, but that might not have stopped Johnny getting on a different bus at the same place

Anyone know?

 

[MissJames]

Somebody posted that a bus driver picked Johnny up here on W/S, I remember seeing the post but I cant find it now, I have looked but Just don't see it.

Does anyone know of this incident?
If it did happen, can we find out which bus, what direction, which day, where from etc,
This could have been Johnnys Route out of Surfside, it may give us a clue as to where to concentrate efforts.

From what I think I read, it didnt seem like the bus driver took him anywhere, but that might not have stopped Johnny getting on a different bus at the same place

Anyone know?

I think it's quite likely Johnny has been given a ride.
Julie or Mrs. Brown gave Peekerfoo the info. I don't recall that a date was given ,but a bus driver said Johnny wanted to go to Atlanta .He told Johnny the bus didn't go to Atlanta so Johnny didn't get on.

I was originally told that Johnny took a taxi or hailed a taxi, the first night.

At some point Georgetown police got him .The way I was told I thought Johnny hailed a taxi by the hotel and when "the police" were called ,either because he couldn't understand Johnny or Johnny had no money ,"the police" called the hotel to see if he worked there.

I now know that Johnny walked to Family Kingdom with the families knowledge .How the taxi and Georgetown Police became involved,I don't know.

 

[Peekerfoo]

I think it's quite likely Johnny has been given a ride.
Julie or Mrs. Brown gave Peekerfoo the info. I don't recall that a date was given ,but a bus driver said Johnny wanted to go to Atlanta .He told Johnny the bus didn't go to Atlanta so Johnny didn't get on.

I was originally told that Johnny took a taxi or hailed a taxi, the first night.

At some point Georgetown police got him .The way I was told I thought Johnny hailed a taxi by the hotel and when "the police" were called ,either because he couldn't understand Johnny or Johnny had no money ,"the police" called the hotel to see if he worked there.

I now know that Johnny walked to Family Kingdom with the families knowledge .How the taxi and Georgetown Police became involved,I don't know.

The Georgetown connection has always bugged me and what I think is that he tried to tell someone that he wanted to go to Georgia and they didn't understand him and headed for Georgetown. With that in mind, I took a trip to Georgetown today.

On the way there I saw a man kind of matching JB's description, but with different clothing, walking along side the road. I went to the next plaza, pulled in and waited for him. I asked him if he was Johnny Brown and he said no, he was Keith. When he spoke, I noticed he was missing his two front teeth, so I thanked him and moved along.

I drove all around Georgetown and then stopped at the Georgetown Times. I met with a reporter there and showed him the flyer. I asked if had heard about Johnny and he'd only heard a little, so I expplained my Georgetown/Georgia theory and he said he would be putting his picture up on their website and probably doing a story for the newspaper. They are affliated with Channel 13, so he was calling there to get the scoop. He had no idea that CUE was even in Georgetown. Hopefully this will get the word out down there. The reporter was nice and took the time to really listen. I told him that I'd seen JB and I felt awful about not stopping and he told me he would help any way he could. I felt hopeful after speaking with him!