MO MO - 'Johnny Lee Mills' aka 'Steven L Johnson' & 'Randi Smith', 13, Maryland Heights, 21 Sep 1990

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Johnny Lee Mills
Missing since September 21, 1990 from Maryland Heights, Saint Louis County, Missouri.
Classification: Endangered Runaway



Vital Statistics Date Of Birth: October 17, 1976
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'5; 108 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.
Marks, Scars: A 4 inch scar on his breastbone and a 1 inch scar on the left side of his chest.
AKA: Steve Johnson; Randy Smith
<LI>Dentals: He has gaps between his teeth.



Circumstances of Disappearance
Mills was taken into police custody after they suspected him of being a runaway. He was initally placed in Youth Emergency Services in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mills was tranferred to a children's shelter on September 21, 1990 in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He ran away from the shelter before his identity was confirmed. All the information he did provide proved false. His true identity is unknown.
There was in the area at the time, a serial killer who focused on young male prostitutes and Mills may have been one. There were also several unidentified victims of this serial killer, and two of them fit the descriptors for Mills. There are no means to test because no relative has ever been located and there was not enough information for an exclusionary identification.



Investigators
If you have any information concerning Mills' whereabouts, please contact:
Maryland Heights Police Department
Det. Joe Bova Conti
314-298-8700
All information may be submitted anonymously. Source Information:
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children


^^^ NCMEC link doesn't work because there is no information about JLM on that site^^^

Here is another link w/ information about him: http://www.find-missing-children.org/Posters/poster359.htm

Doe Network link: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/111ummo.htmlhttp://www.doenetwork.us/cases/111dmmo.html
 
The John Does on Doe Network for Missouri do not fit the description of him or the case.
 
Here's what confuses me the most: "He ran away from the shelter before his identity was confirmed. All the information he did provide proved false. His true identity is unknown."

So in other words- he's somewhat unidentified
 
"Johnny Mills" is a case that's always in the back of my mind. A 13-year-old no one reported missing???? Not all that unusual, as we sadly know, but I have a special place in my heart for sullen, angry kids. A part of me hopes he wasn't reported missing because he was an habitual runaway and he finally went home, but the rest of me wonders...

I have never been able to find any info on a serial killer who preyed on male prostitutes or runaways during the 1990s in Missouri. I was also unable to find any unidentified remains from that time that fit the profile. It's a slim chance, but I now wonder if Michael Devlin may be connected to this disappearance. I'm glad to see that other people have posted on WS and other boards wondering the same thing. I've always hated the thought that "Johnny" hasn't gotten more attention because he was a "throw away" child.
 
Bump

Johnny Mills has been missing almost 20 years. Come home soon.
 
This case has always left me wondering what happened to "Johnny". I really hope he turned out ok, but the other part of me is afraid he met an end not uncommon for runaways back then.
 
I stumbled upon this case and I can't get it out of my head. I just can't believe that nobody has identified this kid. I'd like to know more from the police and workers at the shelter. Any comments or interviews or news articles from that time?
 
Michael Lloyd Johnson
Missing since November 1974, from Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.
Classification: Non Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: January 27, 1974
Age at Time of Disappearance: 10 months old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance (approximation): 2'5" (74 cm); 22 lbs (10 kg)
Distinguishing Characteristics: White male. Brown hair; brown eyes.
DNA: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance
Michael Lloyd Johnson disappeared together with his mother, Freda Denman and sister Sheri Lynn Johnson. Their father has not been seen either since that time. The family went missing in November 1974, but the landlord did not report them missing until March 1975.

The police found Freda's clothes in the closet; while her husband's and children's clothes were missing. Blood was found on a cushion in the home, but the tests were inconclusive.

Denman's husband Henry Lee Harbison aka Henry Johnson has an extensive criminal background and uses several aliases. Henry had affiliations with members of the "Church of the New Song" who claim the family was murdered.

The Denman family believes that Freda was killed and the children were given away.
The Independence police investigated it as a missing person's case. At the same time, the FBI was looking for Henry. Independence closed their case, assuming the FBI would pick up where they left off, but that didn't happen and the case remains unsolved.

In 2004, the police reopened the investigation in the disappearances.

Link: http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/836dmmo.html

-------

Age;

MLJ was born 1974 and would have been 16 in 1990

the UID information has never been confirmed, so the age of 13 stated above could be wrong

"All the information he did provide proved false. His true identity is unknown."
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/111dmmo.html

Aliases Connection;

UID's Aliases:
Johnny Lee Mills, Steve Johnson, and Randy Smith

Michael Lloyd Johnson's Fathers:
Henry Lee Harbison, Henry Johnson

UID's Nose;

Attached is a picture of Michael Lloyd Johnson mother and Father, Johnson mother's nose looks very similar to the UID's nose.

-------

About 20 minutes from where the Johnson Family went missing, a body of a young brown hair female was found in Jackson County in 1981, the age is not known but its guessed between 4 - 15 and the year of death is not known either.

https://identifyus.org/cases/5310

------

Not to far from both sites in Jackson county, the body of a woman with dark hair in 1983. Dental: Full set of dentures that were not recovered.

Freda Loretta Denman (Johnson's Mother)
Missing since November of 1974 from Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.
Classification: Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: November 7, 1947
Age at Time of Disappearance: 27 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'7"; 130 lbs.
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes. Slim build.
Dentals: Denman has a dental plate.

https://identifyus.org/cases/5298
 

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Wow, Deeds, that's terrific work! Looks like it should be in the realm of possibilities. I really wish local LE would solve this mystery, and determine who was responsible for this young man. I would think it wouldn't have been that hard with a little effort. Somebody out there must recognize him. It really doesn't make much sense to me.
 
I was just wondering...should this thread be moved to the unidentified discussions?

"Circumstances of Disappearance
Mills was taken into police custody after they suspected him of being a runaway. He was initially placed in Youth Emergency Services in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mills was transferred to a children's shelter on September 21, 1990 in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He ran away from the shelter before his identity was confirmed. All the information he did provide proved false. His true identity is unknown.

There was in the area at the time, a serial killer who focused on young male prostitutes and Mills may have been one. There were also several unidentified victims of this serial killer, and two of them fit the descriptors for Mills. There are no means to test because no relative has ever been located and there was not enough information for an exclusionary identification. "

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/111dmmo.html
 
I agree, I think the unidentified forum would be appropriate here. Perhaps some newcomer from MO would recognize him. Also, where did that serial killer theory come from? I've tried to search but have found no info about any serial killer at the time.
 
I agree, I think the unidentified forum would be appropriate here. Perhaps some newcomer from MO would recognize him. Also, where did that serial killer theory come from? I've tried to search but have found no info about any serial killer at the time.

His disappearance coincided with the appearance of this serial killer, and he possibly fit the general description of the victims. I think the prostitute theory is a longshot, but it's worth a try.

If he was a prostitute, he could have been trying to leave the sex trade and wanted to get out unnoticed. By being identified, he could have been sent back to that environment, or even worse, killed. I have a feeling someone snatched him shortly after he ran off, and probably killed him too. :cry:

In all reality, I think he was a foster kid from a bad environment and wanted out.

Maybe he is still alive somewhere and doing okay.
 
His disappearance coincided with the appearance of this serial killer, and he possibly fit the general description of the victims. I think the prostitute theory is a longshot, but it's worth a try.

If he was a prostitute, he could have been trying to leave the sex trade and wanted to get out unnoticed. By being identified, he could have been sent back to that environment, or even worse, killed. I have a feeling someone snatched him shortly after he ran off, and probably killed him too. :cry:

In all reality, I think he was a foster kid from a bad environment and wanted out.

Maybe he is still alive somewhere and doing okay.


What serial killer? Who? Was he never caught? Who were the other victims? Are they in Doe Network? Anyone have any more info?

If he was a foster kid from a bad environment I want someone held accountable and if he is alive today that would be great news but I'd like some closure here. The case just haunts me, and I'd like to know what efforts were put in by local LE.
 
Moving this thread over to the Unidentified forum. We can't "find" someone if we don't know who they are! Trying to match him with missing persons reports might be a good start! Who is "Johnny"???
 
Michael Lloyd Johnson and Johnny Lee Mills have the same initials, only in different order.
 
I think the Michael Devlin angle is interesting but he would have had to of started young, and he claims he only took the boys after his friends all married and he lost a couple body parts to diabetes... I think the serial killer they are talking about is Jeffrey Dahmer, its the only known killer with that victim type during the early 90s time period. The problem is that Jeffrey Dahmer doesn't have any known UID victims, but depanding on the last time Johnny Lee Mills's profile was last updated maybe Dahmer's victims hadn't been identified yet... On the plus side that mean there is a better chance Johnny Lee Mills is alive!!

Link;
Jeffrey Dahmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I think the Michael Devlin angle is interesting but he would have had to of started young, and he claims he only took the boys after his friends all married and he lost a couple body parts to diabetes... I think the serial killer they are talking about is Jeffrey Dahmer, its the only known killer with that victim type during the early 90s time period. The problem is that Jeffrey Dahmer doesn't have any known UID victims, but depanding on the last time Johnny Lee Mills's profile was last updated maybe Dahmer's victims hadn't been identified yet... On the plus side that mean there is a better chance Johnny Lee Mills is alive!!

Link;
Jeffrey Dahmer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


But I think Dahmer was in the Milwaukee area and/or northern Illinois, not St Louis. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Dahmer was known to travel to Ohio and possibly California and in 1990 they hadn't identified Dahmer as the serial killer yet. He was apprehended July 22, 1991. So its not out of the realm of possibilities that he would travel a short distance to MO. for a victim.

The location of the two victims from Sept 1990 were killed about 35 mins away from St Louis, MO.

Here are the two victims from September 1990;

Sep 1990 - Ernest Miller
Sep 1990 - David Thomas

Location of murders;

213 Oxford Apartments, North 25th street, East Saint Louis, Illinois, United States

Also Johnny Lee Mills bolted from the children's shelter who's to say he wouldn't jump states...
 

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I know this may sound a bit out there... but would Youth Emergency Services have given him a thorough physical... not just shirt off but the whole lot? Because he looks a little feminine in some ways and 13 is still young enough for a slim undeveloped girl with a short haircut to be passing as a boy. And those fake names... Steve Johnson, Randy Smith, Johnny Lee Mills... all of them are quite assertive of masculinity.
 

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