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

[Peekerfoo]

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 that was me, Fabgod. It was in my long post after I talked to Julie last week. I didn't understand fully about the bus driver, but it seems he was interviewed, as were some homeless people (who were maybe on the bus?). These were the men who said they saw Johnny and he wanted to go to "Allanna" .I had trouble understanding Julie some that day because she was upset and changed gears really fast in the conversation. I did not get the impression that the driver took Johnny anywhere, but I may be mistaken.

 

[fabgod]

So it seems that Johnny is aware enough to understand that buses and taxis can get him where he wants to be and also, he isnt afraid of getting on or in a vehicle.
Johnny can also, it seems use the phone and has gone into restaurants.

Maybe I am underestimating him, he obviously doesnt seem to be afraid of people but that is concerning in a way, because there have been no sightings or reports of him anywhere for almost two weeks, It looks very much that he isnt in Surfside anymore, where awareness was greatest, so now which way?

I heard that CUE were looking in Conway, if he has gone that way there are few big towns in that immediate direction, so there is a good chance he would stand out.

If he is going South as he needs to and if he can indeed say Atlanta and Cartersville, he is looking at 350 miles.
Im hoping he has gone to Myrtle Beach, Georgetown or Soccastee, there is a good chance he could go undetected in those towns

In my opinion, those three towns are the best chance of finding Johnny at the moment, they are all within a short enough distance for him to hitch a ride without anyone trying to go into detail about his background (idle chat, which would surely alert the driver),
He could get to those towns possibly on foot and there are no coordinated searches in those areas, so unless he stood out, there is a good chance he could still be okay in those areas.

Somehow, the awareness needs ramping up, someobody famous or high profile maybe?

 

[Peekerfoo]

It really bothers me that the press in Georgetown new so little about Johnny. It wasn't the reporter's fault because he was unaware of any possible connection. I believe Johnny was in Georgetown county because that's where the cab took him? That's what makes me believe that he's saying Georgia, but people are hearing Georgetown. He had to have been heading south for the G-town police to be involved, so that's where my focus is now. He may have again headed south after leaving Surfside because he already did it once. Plus, his pattern in Surfside was to head south also.

I would have thought the Georgetown press would've been contacted before this and I was totally shocked that they knew so little about this case.They know now and hopefully something will come of it.

 

[fabgod]

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!

Great work Peekerfoo, that will increase the awareness in Georgetown so that can only be good news :rocker:

 

[Peekerfoo]

A decent Facebook page might help! I know they have the one FB where they are seeking donations, but perhaps one that is just about Johnny---I mean EVERYTHING they can think of that would help people to locate him. It would be a start.

 

[Peekerfoo]

Does anyone know if Johnny was wearing a watch? The body found in Hilton Head was described as having a watch on. Also, the report now says that the man may be in his early 40's.

 

[Peekerfoo]

I just called Beaufort County about the drowning victim. I gave them Johnny's description. Dispatch said a detective would be calling me shortly.

 

[Peekerfoo]

I spoke with the investigator and he immediately called Julie. He just called me back and said the man is NOT Johnny. Thank God!!!

The description must have been close enough for him to call Julie, but he did ask me if JB had been in the military (tattoo maybe on the drowning victim?). Perhaps that's what he needed to know from the family. I am so happy it is not him, but sorry for the victim's family.

 

[writer7]

Thank you so much for calling!!!! I had a minute to check on Johnny and the last article I read about the drowning victim worried me.

RIP to the real victim

 

[MissJames]

I asked this upthread ,but maybe it got lost .

What is the difference between Johnny's missing person case and the Linnea Lomax missing person case?

As far as I can tell they have issues that might make them more vulnerable,and they both seem to have walked away voluntarily.
If anything (and maybe I'm missing some important info) ,it's more obvious that Johnny is "LOST" while it looks as though Linnea may have left on her own.

Is LE treating them differently? Does the Lomax family have more resources?

It really bothers me that the HH police had to get a call from Peekerfoo to even learn about Johnny. They said they ddn't have anyone matching the drowning victims description ,reported missing,yet after talking to Peekerfoo he felt he needed more info from Julie.

To me that means Johnny has not risen to the status of being an "important" missing person.

Very minor publicity,only a few people even looking ,until CUE was brought in.

What's REALLY going on here?

 

[kpdx]

Totally agree, MissJames. In waiting for updates about HH John via news cycles I did a quick investigation. Via an Associated Press posting, that got major media pick up whereas Johnny has only hit on a few media outlets and top google rankings are from WS and Cue.

I had a sneaking suspicion that even though LE released APB to SC LE, it appeared to fall through the cracks based on the statement from HH county LE that there were no similar matching persons.

I am pretty frustrated that, even after Peek's huge efforts to contact media, this story isn't generating the type of coverage it should.

My primary posting at WS has been in the unidentified forum, but this case caught my attention after Tricia's True Crime podcast.

From my experiences with UIDs, the biggest problem is consistency, eg standards for a). reporting missing persons b). information available to public to help locate MPs c). uniform standard for LE. NAMUS is helping a lot...but in this case why wasn't a silver alert issued?! The spirit of that alert is to help individuals in our population likely to be engangered missing.

This could've, should've had a happy ending after 12-72 hours after Johnny was last seen.

 

[fabgod]

I asked this upthread ,but maybe it got lost .

What is the difference between Johnny's missing person case and the Linnea Lomax missing person case?

As far as I can tell they have issues that might make them more vulnerable,and they both seem to have walked away voluntarily.
If anything (and maybe I'm missing some important info) ,it's more obvious that Johnny is "LOST" while it looks as though Linnea may have left on her own.

Is LE treating them differently? Does the Lomax family have more resources?

It really bothers me that the HH police had to get a call from Peekerfoo to even learn about Johnny. They said they ddn't have anyone matching the drowning victims description ,reported missing,yet after talking to Peekerfoo he felt he needed more info from Julie.

To me that means Johnny has not risen to the status of being an "important" missing person.

Very minor publicity,only a few people even looking ,until CUE was brought in.

What's REALLY going on here?

I think this has to be said regarding the comparisons between Linnea Lomax and Johnny Lamar Brown,
the media is a business and needs to court popularity saleability and visual impact.
Therefore a Photogenic white Blonde girl is going to get more media interest than a 44 year old Black man with special needs everytime, its an unfortunate fact of life in a media driven world.

The only way to compete is to create or find an angle,
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we really could do with finding that angle, maybe a media celebrity or a campaign that differs from the normal route of a missing person, there are too many already and it is nigh on impossible to get to the top of the list.

Very early on someone on here mentioned the actor who played the autistic man in a film?
Somebody must have some connection somewhere that could be tapped into that would raise Johnnys profile
Obama was in Charleston the other night, there is no one higher on the food chain than him or going to Romney, it doesnt matter what their motive for supporting it is (votes) Is there a way to connect to those type of people?

 

[kai]

As discouraged as some of you locals are, I really strongly feel that Johnny will be "found" by someone who has seen a flyer, a news story, or a photo of him somewhere. This is one of those cases where Johnny's loved ones really are going to have to depend on the public's eyes and those locals who truly literally have their boots on the ground.

Missing person reports are a dime a dozen over the police dispatch airwaves. Officers hear them and may even see a photo at a briefing, but they cannot remember every one of them or the details. Unless Johnny can communicate somehow with someone who he is and what he has been through, I really think it is going to be up to the public and hard working angels like all of you locals to bring him home.

Many prayers and blessings for Johnny, his family, and all of you who have invested your hearts into finding Johnny!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[kai]

An added question or two that just crossed my mind..Has Johnny ever been arrested? Would his prints show up in a database if he were to be? Can mental hospitals take unidentified patients? Maybe he is locked up in a facility or a hospital? Even a normal hospital?

Eta: Not implying Johnny is a criminal by any means, not my intent. Just wondering where he might be.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[Peekerfoo]

Thank you so much for calling!!!! I had a minute to check on Johnny and the last article I read about the drowning victim worried me.

RIP to the real victim

You're welcome. I kept checking the Bluffton news for an update on the identity and when I didn't see one I decided to call. I'd rather eliminate the possibilities asap so we can move forward.

I do feel bad for the man who did drown. The investigator asked me if Johnny did a lot of reading. I wonder what there was about that man that made him ask me that?

The other man (we worried might be Johnny), Christopher Nance, who was stabbed in Murrells Inlet was murdered by his own nephew and the nephews roomate. Both were in their 20's and already had some criminal history. Sad story.

 

[Peekerfoo]

An added question or two that just crossed my mind..Has Johnny ever been arrested? Would his prints show up in a database if he were to be? Can mental hospitals take unidentified patients? Maybe he is locked up in a facility or a hospital? Even a normal hospital?

Eta: Not implying Johnny is a criminal by any means, not my intent. Just wondering where he might be.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

I never asked J. if Johnny had been arrested before. I wonder if there's some kind of "look-up" to find out? I think any hospital can take any patient. If he was unidentified you would think they'd check NAMUS first thing. These are good questions and hopefully we can find the answers!

 

[Peekerfoo]

I think this has to be said regarding the comparisons between Linnea Lomax and Johnny Lamar Brown,
the media is a business and needs to court popularity saleability and visual impact.
Therefore a Photogenic white Blonde girl is going to get more media interest than a 44 year old Black man with special needs everytime, its an unfortunate fact of life in a media driven world.

The only way to compete is to create or find an angle,
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we really could do with finding that angle, maybe a media celebrity or a campaign that differs from the normal route of a missing person, there are too many already and it is nigh on impossible to get to the top of the list.

Very early on someone on here mentioned the actor who played the autistic man in a film?
Somebody must have some connection somewhere that could be tapped into that would raise Johnnys profile
Obama was in Charleston the other night, there is no one higher on the food chain than him or going to Romney, it doesnt matter what their motive for supporting it is (votes) Is there a way to connect to those type of people?

Sad, but true, Fabgod. That's the reality of Johnny's situation.
I tried getting in touch with Governors of two states and I've not heard anything but a basic "blah blah blah form letter". Trying to get hold of politicians is almost impossible. You get the same letter as above, just on better stationery. I'm thinking....

 

[Peekerfoo]

I asked this upthread ,but maybe it got lost .

What is the difference between Johnny's missing person case and the Linnea Lomax missing person case?

As far as I can tell they have issues that might make them more vulnerable,and they both seem to have walked away voluntarily.
If anything (and maybe I'm missing some important info) ,it's more obvious that Johnny is "LOST" while it looks as though Linnea may have left on her own.

Is LE treating them differently? Does the Lomax family have more resources?

It really bothers me that the HH police had to get a call from Peekerfoo to even learn about Johnny. They said they ddn't have anyone matching the drowning victims description ,reported missing,yet after talking to Peekerfoo he felt he needed more info from Julie.

To me that means Johnny has not risen to the status of being an "important" missing person.

Very minor publicity,only a few people even looking ,until CUE was brought in.

What's REALLY going on here?

I wish I knew. I believe a lot of it is exactly what Fabgod said--Johnny is not a blonde young girl. We also have a family that, for whatever reason, aren't getting their voices heard (or not using them) and I have to wonder if there isn't one person in the family or their church who could help with public relations? Just someone in the community who may have ties to someone else who has better ties? Someone who could shout from the rooftops about this? Cartersville is not that far from Atlanta. Do they have anyone there that could take over? Can they call someone from a Civil Rights group that might be able to help? They have to make some of these calls. They just do and if they can't they need to find someone in will. Nonni Brenda is trying to help, but she has medical problems right now, so that's a big burden. There has to be SOMEONE besides complete strangers that can do SOMETHING! Thank goodness CUE answered the call and hopefully TES will be on it, too. We need just a little bit of assistance to BE of assistance. JMO

 

[Peekerfoo]

An added question or two that just crossed my mind..Has Johnny ever been arrested? Would his prints show up in a database if he were to be? Can mental hospitals take unidentified patients? Maybe he is locked up in a facility or a hospital? Even a normal hospital?

Eta: Not implying Johnny is a criminal by any means, not my intent. Just wondering where he might be.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

I checked Namus and Johnny's fingerprint information was available and entered. It does not say anything about an arrest.

No DNA or dental records have been entered as yet.

 

[MissJames]

I wish I knew. I believe a lot of it is exactly what Fabgod said--Johnny is not a blonde young girl. We also have a family that, for whatever reason, aren't getting their voices heard (or not using them) and I have to wonder if there isn't one person in the family or their church who could help with public relations? Just someone in the community who may have ties to someone else who has better ties? Someone who could shout from the rooftops about this? Cartersville is not that far from Atlanta. Do they have anyone there that could take over? Can they call someone from a Civil Rights group that might be able to help? They have to make some of these calls. They just do and if they can't they need to find someone in will. Nonni Brenda is trying to help, but she has medical problems right now, so that's a big burden. There has to be SOMEONE besides complete strangers that can do SOMETHING! Thank goodness CUE answered the call and hopefully TES will be on it, too. We need just a little bit of assistance to BE of assistance. JMO

CNN headquarters are in Atlanta,not far from Cartersville.
I emailed the Nancy Grace show when we first heard about Johnny.

I was really hoping TES would bring their media contacts with them .

At this moment LE could be getting tips and sightings but we have no way of knowing .I hope they are .