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

[MissJames]

If he was going to Family Kingdom that only has rides and games, so he wouldn't need a swimsuit. He would need plenty of cash because that place can get real spendy if wanted to ride the rides. Wouldn't the family have worried about him being at an amusement park, knowing that some people think he is intoxicated by the way he speaks? I would be scared for him just because there are some bad people down on the Blvd. Remember the TV reporter who got knocked down while she was trying to do a story on live TV a while back? There was camera crew and everything, but that guy didn't care at all. he was found and arrested on assault charges.

I thought it was a water park . JBs sister kept saying he was attracted to the water parks .
Maybe when Nonni Brenda recovers she can talk to his parents some more and try to get a better handle on Johnnys limitations and abilities . What will he be drawn to , etc...

 

[fabgod]

http://www.blufftontoday.com/bluffton-news/2012-09-05/body-found-folly-field-beach

Has anyone contacted other SC PD? I really hope this is not him...so sad.

Have you seen this quote from the post?

"The victim is a black male believed to be in his mid-to late thirties and was found wearing only swim trunks.

McIntosh said police have not received a report of anyone missing that matches the description of the man"
???

 

[nosysw]

Why did Johnny stop trying to call home?

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...

 

[fabgod]

Is it 12 days since Johnny was last seen now?

 

[Peekerfoo]

I thought it was a water park . JBs sister kept saying he was attracted to the water parks .
Maybe when Nonni Brenda recovers she can talk to his parents some more and try to get a better handle on Johnnys limitations and abilities . What will he be drawn to , etc...

Maybe that's why he kept being spotted at the Flea Market in Surfside. It's practically next door to Wild, Water, and Wheels---the big water park. It may have been why he was seen down there.

Does Julie have a reward fund set up? She didn't ask me to contribute to it, so I wondered if one was set up by the family? The Facebook page only mentions contributions for the family. I don;t know who's running that FB, but I messaged them with my sighting and no one ever answered.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Have you seen this quote from the post?

"The victim is a black male believed to be in his mid-to late thirties and was found wearing only swim trunks.

McIntosh said police have not received a report of anyone missing that matches the description of the man"
???

I saw that! I though the key words may have been "matches the description". Perhaps this poor guy is 6'2' and weighs 300 lbs. OR they don't know a thing about Johnny Brown being lost. :maddening:

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I hate to admit it, but I am starting to get a little suspicious with the apparent runaround you're getting now. I've not been in a situation quite like this, however, so who knows. And I have a bad feeling about the body. Awfully coincidental. Any update yet?

 

[Peekerfoo]

I hate to admit it, but I am starting to get a little suspicious with the apparent runaround you're getting now. I've not been in a situation quite like this, however, so who knows. And I have a bad feeling about the body. Awfully coincidental. Any update yet?

I've never been in a situation like Johnny's family is in, but if I was, I would be doing things differently.

They know about WS and all of the support they are getting from members here, so why wouldn't they register and keep everyone updated? WS has so many resources and caring people who could help them in many ways, so why not join? Or at the very least, update the people from WS who have been in contact with them? This is not a criminal case, so it wouldn't interfere with an investigation. I only saw Johnny and I scurried as fast as I could to WS to get registered and help in any way. If it were my loved one, I would be here every day begging y'all for help. I'd be on the phone talikng to anyone who would listen (even if I was too tired to talk). I'd have a Facebook page that was crammed with information about my loved one and as many pictures as I could post. I'd be googling search and rescue people and finding the ones closest to me (like CUE) because time is never on one's side with a missing person. I wouldn't wait for a starnger to do that for me. I would be calling the people in the town where my loved one was last seen and asking them if they'd heard or seen anything. I don't think I'd be too proud to do whatever it took to get them back home safely.

I was so upset after talking with Julie this past week-end and she sounded upset, too. She told me that she would stay in touch, but she hasn't. I am running these roads every day looking for something...anything that might give us a clue where Johnny is. I've been to the police, the news, Cue, and anywhere else I can think of. I've sent e-mails to two Govs, NG and JVM. Others here have done just as much, if not more. I want to know WHY, with all the help that good people have given to find Johnny Brown, can't they give us just one update a day? Is that asking too much? I would be doing that and much more if it were my loved one. Maybe, for some strange reason, our help is not required? :dunno:

 

[writer7]

Looking at where the body was found, we know that Johnny couldn't have walked there. The coast isn't as straight and easy as around the Myrtle Beach area.

He could have gotten a ride, but I can't figure out why anyone would take him to Hilton Head unless they were just going there themselves.

Public transportation does not go easily to Hilton Head, and most of the options I see want their money upfront. They are fishing or marine life, etc, tours. It looks fairly difficult to try to take a local bus into Hilton Head. He could have done it via some of the big, fancy companies, but someone would have had to give him a chunk of change to do so.

He'd be so close to the GA border that I'd think he'd rather go on to Savannah if he were really in that area. Unfortunately, it is possible that that's what he was trying to do and got turned around

Still, Hilton Head is just oddly out of the way. The description fits him, but it was also Labor Day holiday recently, so it would fit a lot of people. All of those areas would have been flooded with tourists.

 

[writer7]

About keeping us in the loop, maybe CUE would like to let us know what they need if we contact them. I tried emailing them about my early reward idea, but their email is broken. I think there may be a phone number for them, if anyone would like to try.

I just contacted MBPD instead, in my case. I knew the family could also contact me, so I didn't want to be a bother to them (not that anyone has been!). I'm sure they have a million phone calls to make! That's where CUE should step in, imho.

And they need to push for a new article, too, while I'm giving unsolicited advice Seriously, it would be very nice to coordinate with CUE. We're waiting for orders, sirs

 

[fabgod]

I've never been in a situation like Johnny's family is in, but if I was, I would be doing things differently.

They know about WS and all of the support they are getting from members here, so why wouldn't they register and keep everyone updated? WS has so many resources and caring people who could help them in many ways, so why not join? Or at the very least, update the people from WS who have been in contact with them? This is not a criminal case, so it wouldn't interfere with an investigation. I only saw Johnny and I scurried as fast as I could to WS to get registered and help in any way. If it were my loved one, I would be here every day begging y'all for help. I'd be on the phone talikng to anyone who would listen (even if I was too tired to talk). I'd have a Facebook page that was crammed with information about my loved one and as many pictures as I could post. I'd be googling search and rescue people and finding the ones closest to me (like CUE) because time is never on one's side with a missing person. I wouldn't wait for a starnger to do that for me. I would be calling the people in the town where my loved one was last seen and asking them if they'd heard or seen anything. I don't think I'd be too proud to do whatever it took to get them back home safely.

I was so upset after talking with Julie this past week-end and she sounded upset, too. She told me that she would stay in touch, but she hasn't. I am running these roads every day looking for something...anything that might give us a clue where Johnny is. I've been to the police, the news, Cue, and anywhere else I can think of. I've sent e-mails to two Govs, NG and JVM. Others here have done just as much, if not more. I want to know WHY, with all the help that good people have given to find Johnny Brown, can't they give us just one update a day? Is that asking too much? I would be doing that and much more if it were my loved one. Maybe, for some strange reason, our help is not required? :dunno:

I think you have summed it up perfectly Peekerfoo, The unconditional offer of help was there (and still is), some good people put themselves out there for somebody who was in trouble and there was a definite window of opportunity to make a difference (hopefully there still is).
For some reason that offer hasnt been taken up, we can only wonder why?

 

[Peekerfoo]

About keeping us in the loop, maybe CUE would like to let us know what they need if we contact them. I tried emailing them about my early reward idea, but their email is broken. I think there may be a phone number for them, if anyone would like to try.

I just contacted MBPD instead, in my case. I knew the family could also contact me, so I didn't want to be a bother to them (not that anyone has been!). I'm sure they have a million phone calls to make! That's where CUE should step in, imho.

And they need to push for a new article, too, while I'm giving unsolicited advice Seriously, it would be very nice to coordinate with CUE. We're waiting for orders, sirs

CUE works with the family. Even when I called, Monica took all of the info that I had but said that the family has to be the ones who request help. It's just their policy. I believe that Monica was the one who had to finally contact them (not positive, but Julie was on the phone with me after I spoke to CUE and she got a call at the same time from someone with "search and rescue") . I am sure that Monica is keeping the family informed, but I think it's up to the family to send that info out to those who are willing to help. Maybe I'm wrong, but CUE is busy trying to find Johnny and they probably expect the family to give out info as needed. The thing that's so cool about Monica Caison is that she's not wearing a nice suit sitting behind a desk taking calls---she is truly in the fields and swamps! Like I said before, she is all business! She has been here many times before on cases (like Brittanee Drexel and Alice Donovan)so we're pretty familiar with CUE. It would be much easier if Julie would just call ONE person a day and give a brief update. I don't care who that one person is, just get the word out. People are TRYING to help her and mainly trying to help Johnny.

writer7 I apologize if it seems my earlier rant spilled over to this post. I didn't mean for it to. I don't know what CUE does besides search and rescue, but I'm not sure if they act as a liason between the family and the public. Maybe they do, but I really don't know.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Looking at where the body was found, we know that Johnny couldn't have walked there. The coast isn't as straight and easy as around the Myrtle Beach area.

He could have gotten a ride, but I can't figure out why anyone would take him to Hilton Head unless they were just going there themselves.

Public transportation does not go easily to Hilton Head, and most of the options I see want their money upfront. They are fishing or marine life, etc, tours. It looks fairly difficult to try to take a local bus into Hilton Head. He could have done it via some of the big, fancy companies, but someone would have had to give him a chunk of change to do so.

He'd be so close to the GA border that I'd think he'd rather go on to Savannah if he were really in that area. Unfortunately, it is possible that that's what he was trying to do and got turned around

Still, Hilton Head is just oddly out of the way. The description fits him, but it was also Labor Day holiday recently, so it would fit a lot of people. All of those areas would have been flooded with tourists.

You nailed that description of Hilton Head perfectly! It's not just along side the highway like Surfside or Myrtle Beach is. It is "oddly out of the way". Many of the beaches on HH are private, too. I can't see how a man ,who's been lost for this long, wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in Hilton Head. Anything's possible I guess, but I think you're right about Hilton Head.

 

[Peekerfoo]

I think you have summed it up perfectly Peekerfoo, The unconditional offer of help was there (and still is), some good people put themselves out there for somebody who was in trouble and there was a definite window of opportunity to make a difference (hopefully there still is).
For some reason that offer hasnt been taken up, we can only wonder why?

Thanks. I don't want to come off as harsh about this, but it's been days of this spotty communication. I am not giving up on Johnny and I hope the window is still open for him to be found safely.

 

[Simp]

Thanks. I don't want to come off as harsh about this, but it's been days of this spotty communication. I am not giving up on Johnny and I hope the window is still open for him to be found safely.

Peekerfoo, I know I'm not local but, I read about Johnny here and you guys were (and still are) so fired up and on the ball that I immediately wanted to help. I got in contact with what few friends I had in the Atlanta area and sent them pics of Johnny to be looking for him in case he made it back that far. You guys motivated "lil ole me" in Alabama!!! I don't think you are being harsh at all!! You have gone above and beyond and I personally admire you for that (and the others involved). Don't get down about it!! Just keep your head up and remember you are doing the right thing and for all the right reasons!! Maybe Julie will call one of you guys very soon, I pray that she does because, I don't think it's too much to ask. Your contribution in finding Johnny is unmeasurable. I pray that if anything like this were to ever happen to someone in my family there would be people like y'all to help me. At the end of the day, all that matters is that we do the right thing for each other and that we do all we can do. Keep your head up,,, you all are amazing!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nosysw]

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.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Peekerfoo, I know I'm not local but, I read about Johnny here and you guys were (and still are) so fired up and on the ball that I immediately wanted to help. I got in contact with what few friends I had in the Atlanta area and sent them pics of Johnny to be looking for him in case he made it back that far. You guys motivated "lil ole me" in Alabama!!! I don't think you are being harsh at all!! You have gone above and beyond and I personally admire you for that (and the others involved). Don't get down about it!! Just keep your head up and remember you are doing the right thing and for all the right reasons!! Maybe Julie will call one of you guys very soon, I pray that she does because, I don't think it's too much to ask. Your contribution in finding Johnny is unmeasurable. I pray that if anything like this were to ever happen to someone in my family there would be people like y'all to help me. At the end of the day, all that matters is that we do the right thing for each other and that we do all we can do. Keep your head up,,, you all are amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Simp. Your help is so appreciated as are your kind words.

I feel so strongly about this because I may have seen Johnny. I even have a problem with that. I reported him as having jeans on, described them as well as I could, and that he was also carrying a bright colored umbrella. Julie said that others reported him as wearing jeans, but no one, to my knowledge, has said anything about an umbrella. It was because of these things that I hesitated to call. If several people reported him as wearing jeans then shouldn't that be all over the news when they do the interviews? They say he "may be wearing different clothing" on some things, but why not describe the jeans? How come no one else saw the umbrella? It was pouring rain that day and he was at the flea market the same day? I'm beginning to wonder if the man I saw even was Johnny. Maybe it's just wishful (weird) thinking on my part because I have so much guilt about not stopping. I wasn't out searching for Johnny that day, just coming back from the store. We found out my daughter's house had been robbed the night before and I was still upset about that. I saw a man walking in the rain, who met the description of the man I read about here on WS, with different pants on and an umbrella. I wish I knew how other people described his pants or whether they saw an umbrella. I would think they'd be putting out a more accurate description if that's the case. I haven't slept well since this began because I keep thinking about that day. I am taking Julie's word for it that there were other sightings of him in jeans. But why did NO ONE report a big orange and white striped golf umbrella? I hope you understand what i'm trying to say here. I wish I could go back and start that day all over again.

 

[nosysw]

You nailed that description of Hilton Head perfectly! It's not just along side the highway like Surfside or Myrtle Beach is. It is "oddly out of the way". Many of the beaches on HH are private, too. I can't see how a man ,who's been lost for this long, wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb in Hilton Head. Anything's possible I guess, but I think you're right about Hilton Head.

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.

 

[nosysw]

: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.

 

[Simp]

Thanks, Simp. Your help is so appreciated as are your kind words.

I feel so strongly about this because I may have seen Johnny. I even have a problem with that. I reported him as having jeans on, described them as well as I could, and that he was also carrying a bright colored umbrella. Julie said that others reported him as wearing jeans, but no one, to my knowledge, has said anything about an umbrella. It was because of these things that I hesitated to call. If several people reported him as wearing jeans then shouldn't that be all over the news when they do the interviews? They say he "may be wearing different clothing" on some things, but why not describe the jeans? How come no one else saw the umbrella? It was pouring rain that day and he was at the flea market the same day? I'm beginning to wonder if the man I saw even was Johnny. Maybe it's just wishful (weird) thinking on my part because I have so much guilt about not stopping. I wasn't out searching
for Johnny that day, just coming back from the store. We found out my daughter's house had been robbed the night before and I was still upset about that. I saw a man walking in the rain, who met the description of the man I read about here on WS, with different pants on and an umbrella. I wish I knew how other people described his pants or whether they saw an umbrella. I would think they'd be putting out a more accurate description if that's the case. I haven't slept well since this began because I keep thinking about that day. I am taking Julie's word for it that there were other sightings of him in jeans. But why did NO ONE report a big orange and white striped golf umbrella? I hope you understand what i'm trying to say here. I wish I could go back and start that day all over again.

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.