The Disappearance of Jarrod Johnston
For this case I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 6 episode 15, titled ‘At A Crossroads.’
An 18 year old disappears after fighting with his grandma.
Background
Jarrod Johnston
Jarrod Duke Johnston was born on August 21, 1988. When he was growing up, he split time between his dad, Steve, and his biological mom. His dad remarried a woman named Lisa in 2003, and Jarrod became a big brother to Lisa’s kids.
Jarrod’s dad, Lisa and his sister, Brittany, were interviewed in this episode, and they all said Jarrod was insanely smart and kind. Brittany also said that Jarrod was a very protective older brother and that he loved to spend time with his family.
Jarrod’s Struggles
One night Jarrod had thrown a party while Steve and Lisa were out of town. Jarrod took several prescription pills, and had to be taken to the hospital. After this he became addiction to medication, he had even taken some medication from his grandma, who needed the pills due to having multiple surgeries.
For the next several years, he was in and out of rehab, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. During his junior year of high school Jarrod’s parents homeschooled him, so that he wouldn’t be pressured into taking drugs again.
Steve and Lisa said that it seemed like Jarrod was back to his usual self, and he taught himself how to play the guitar. They were even planning a family trip to Yazoo County, Mississippi, where they had lived for awhile. No one ever thought that this would be the last normal family outing they would ever have.
The Disappearance
On a hot, humid Fourth of July in 2007, Jarrod, his parents and siblings all took a road trip to Yazoo County, where they used to live. They now were living in Franklin, just a few hours away. Jarrod was going to stay with a friend, while Jarrod’s siblings stayed with their grandma. Jarrod wasn’t allowed to stay with his grandma because he had taken her medication in the past.
The kids were all dropped off at their grandma’s, and Steve and Lisa said goodbye, not knowing this would be the last time they would see their son.
On July 7, 2007, Jarrod was dropped back off at his grandma’s, by the mom of his friend. Jarrod had told his family that his friend said he could stay with them for a few weeks, but it turned out that he was only able to stay there a few days. Jarrod’s grandma said he couldn’t stay at her home, so Jarrod took his backpack, duffel bag and guitar and walked away. Brittany, his sister, tried to run after him, but he told her he could take care of himself.
Jarrod’s grandma called Steve and Lisa to let them know about it, and they weren’t concerned at first. Jarrod had a history of leaving the home for a few days to clear his head. Jarrod’s girlfriend, Kacie, also lived nearby, so they thought he had gone to stay with her. It turned out that they were very wrong.
A Few Weeks Later
In August 2007, Jarrod’s parents called Kacie Parker, his girlfriend, and asked to speak to him. Kacie said Jarrod was never there, and that she didn’t even know he was in town. Jarrod’s parents were confused and scared.
Steve called the Yazoo County Sheriff’s department to file a missing persons report. They told him that Jarrod’s grandma had to be the one to call to report it, since she actually lived in town.
There were also several sightings of Jarrod around the downtown area, including the mom of the friend where Jarrod had been a few weeks earlier. However, no one heard from him and they were worried. Jarrod only had a three month supply left of his medication for his bipolar disorder. His parents were worried that he was hooked on drugs again and needed help.
In December 2007, Lisa got a call from her nephew Jeffrey, who lived in Jackson, Mississippi. Jeffrey said he thought he had seen Jarrod at the mall there. This lead turned out to be a dead end.
The “Investigation”
Throughout Jarrod’s investigation, there would be several different investigators put on and removed from the case. One of the detectives was Det. Dennis Moulder. He told Jarrod’s parents that there wasn’t much they could do because there was no sign of foul play, and because Jarrod was 18.
Steve and Lisa were pissed, and so they decided to do their own investigation. They made missing persons flyers, and put out information on missing persons sites.
In February 2008, Jarrod’s parents received emails from someone saying if you don’t do what we say, or give us $50,000, we’ll kill your son. They contacted a local FBI agency, and the agency did some digging. The emails turned out to be a hoax, and were coming from overseas. The Johnston’s were heartbroken once again, and had to go back to square one.
Jarrod, is that you?
There were various sightings in the later years of this investigation.
In March 2008, the Johnston’s drove 400 miles to Jackson, Mississippi, to look at the lead they hadn’t gotten from Lisa’s nephew. They had hoped that if Jarrod was in Jackson, that he would be at the mall again.
Brittany took some missing persons flyers around to various stores, and one woman who worked at a jewelry store recognized Jarrod. She said he had come into the store to buy an engagement ring, but he didn’t purchase it because his card declined. He said he’d come back, but never did.
The Johnston’s reported this to the police, but the investigation didn’t lead anywhere because the surveillance footage had been deleted.
In July 2010, the police received a call from a woman named Kelly Hite. Kelly lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and she said she had taken in a young man she thought was Jarrod. It had been three years since Jarrod disappeared, but Kelly came across Jarrod’s story on Facebook and she 100% believed it was Jarrod.
This young man had been found slumped over a guard rail in downtown Atlanta. When Kelly asked him what his name was, he told her it was Samuel Alexifus. Kelly asked him multiple times how to spell that, and he gave her various spellings. He also didn’t remember anything about his life. Kelly thought maybe he had been in an accident and had amnesia.
Kelly contacted the police, and was contacted by Detective Moulder. Det. Moulder asked Kelly to take pictures of ‘Samuel,’ and email them to him. Kelly did, and Det. Moulder forwarded the pictures to the Johnston’s. They 100% believed it was Jarrod, the man even had a capped tooth.
When the time finally came for the Johnston’s to go to Atlanta, Jarrod or Samuel was gone. Kelly had tried to help Samuel get a bus ticket to go to New York, but was unable to because he didn’t have an ID. Kelly gave the man her phone number and he left.
The Johnston’s and Kelly all came together to try to get answers about Jarrod and this man together.
Getting Answers
The Johnston’s once again reached out the FBI agency, that helped them with the emails. They wanted to know if this mysterious Atlanta man was their son. He wasn’t, his real name was Nathaniel Wright.
Nathaniel may not have Jarrod, but Nathaniel and Kelly were reunited. Nathaniel even agreed that he looked like Jarrod.
In March 2012, a new detective took over Jarrod’s case. Det. Tommy Irvine realized that there was no paperwork on Jarrod’s case. He asked Det. Moulder about it and Det. Moulder said there never want any paperwork. They had to work together to go over the timeline and any facts they had on the case.
Two weeks later, Det. Irvine received a tip that there was a young man in an Atlanta hospital, in a comma. Lisa said she was excited again, but this time was cautious because they had gotten excited the last time they received a tip.
In June 2012, they found out that it was not Jarrod. This case is still open and it remains unsolved.
Jarrod Johnston information
Other
Steve Johnston’s sister was murdered 25 years before Jarrod disappeared. His sister, Susan, went to a concert with some friends and was murdered by a couple she met through her friend. Her body was found at in a lake, and her family was able to identify her when a composite sketch of her was in the newspaper.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This case is SO sad. I feel bad so bad for Lisa, Steve, grandma and Jarrod’s siblings, they were told so many times that Jarrod could possibly be alive and it was all dead ends. I really want to know what happened in this case, and this is the reason why I prefer solved cases over unsolved because it makes me wonder. Did Jarrod walk away to start a new life? Was it foul play? Did he meet the wrong people and overdose on drugs? Where is he?
They also showed pictures of Nathaniel, the man who they thought was Jarrod, and they really do look so much alike. I really thought it was going to be Jarrod and it’s a shame that it wasn’t.
If you have any additional information, contact the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department at 662-741-5611.
Sources
https://disappearedblog.com/jarrod-johnston/
http://missingin.org/reg3045/jarrod_duke_johnston.htm
https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/5502
https://helpfindjarrod.wordpress.com/
