Missing Since: 2019-05-26 Location: Capitan, New Mexico
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. Investigating Agency Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office 800-687-2419 Carrizozo Sheriff’s Office 575-648-2342 Source Information New Mexico Department of Public Safety: Missing Person Information NamUs NBC News KOB 4 The Albuquerque Journal KRQE New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated May 28, 2020; casefile added.