SC SC - Shanta Johnson, 3, Myrtle Beach, 19 Jul 1992

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Shanta Marie Johnson

johnson_shanta.jpg
johnson_shanta_ap.jpg





Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: July 19, 1992 from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: January 3, 1989
Age: 3 years old
Height and Weight: 3'0, 44 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shanta may use the name Shante Reid; it was her birth name.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: A navy blue t-shirt with the cartoon character Mickey Mouse, white shorts and white tennis shoes with blue trim and rabbit designs.
Medical Conditions: Shanta's mother used drugs while she was pregnant with her, and the child tested positive for cocaine at birth. She may have mental and medical problems as a result. She was classified as a special needs child in 1992.

Details of Disappearance
Shanta's foster mother, Susan Marie Davis Johnson, says she and Shanta visited Briarcliffe Mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on July 19, 1992. Susan told authorities that Shanta disappeared near the toy department of the K-Mart store inside the shopping center at approximately 3:30 p.m. The K-Mart surveillance tapes showed Susan entering the store alone, however. Shanta could not be seen on any of the tapes. Shanta's biological mother was in prison on a drug charge in 1992; she was interviewed by police but had no useful information. She lost custody of Shanta because the baby tested positive for cocaine at birth. Shanta's birth family was holding a family reunion in Myrtle Beach the same weekend she went missing. Authorities investigated the possibility that her biological relatives abducted her or that Susan voluntarily relinquished the child to them. Eventually all of Shanta's birth relatives were ruled out as suspects in her case. Susan and her husband, willie Johnson, had begun adoption proceedings for Shanta and her younger brother a few months months prior to the girl's disappearance, but the state Department of Social Services (DSS) still had legal custody of both children. The day after Shanta was reported missing, the DSS removed her brother from the Johnson home. He was later adopted by another family. In July 1995, three years after Shanta went missing, Susan was charged with abusing her. A nurse at Duke University Medical Center filed a report a month before Shanta's reported abduction, saying the child was behaving fearfully and had marks on her body suggestive of abuse. In addition, Shanta's babysitter reported she had seen severe burns on the child's buttocks. Shanta allegedly told the babysitter Susan had burned her with hot grease, but Susan said it was a sunburn. The outcome of the child abuse charge is unknown. Investigators searched a piece of property owned by the Johnsons in Pender County in 1995. They found unspecified evidence linked to Shanta. They believe her body was buried there at one time, but that it has since been dug up and moved to another location. Shanta resided in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1992. Authorities stated they believed she had been the victim of a premeditated homicide, and Susan is the prime suspect. Her case remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Cumberland County Sheriff's Office 919-323-1500

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/j/johnson_shanta.html
 
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/348dfsc.html

Why in the world didn't someone remove her from the home when the nurse and babysitter had reported suspected abuse?
There's a process that goes in once a tip goes in. Without more info then what's been put out already--maybe there was bad investigating. Maybe somehow they found no evidence (in their eyes). Maybe the tip never reached the right ears. It's so hard to say....there's a lot of cases of CPS dropping the ball and it sounds like that this case definitely had those overtones.
 
This month marks the 20 year anniversary of Shanta Marie's disappearance...

---------------------------
Shanta Marie Johnson
Missing since July 19, 1992 from Myrtle Beach, Horry County, South Carolina.
Classification: Non Family Abduction

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: January 3, 1989
Age at Time of Disappearance: 3 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 3' 0" - 91 cm; 44 lbs - 20 kg
Distinguishing Characteristics: Black female. Black hair; brown eyes.
Clothing: A navy blue shirt, white shorts and white tennis shoes with blue trim.
AKA: Shante Marie Reid

Circumstances of Disappearance

Shanta and her adoptive mother visited Briarcliffe Mall in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on July 19, 1992. The mother told authorities that Shanta disappeared near the toy department of the K-Mart store inside the shopping center during the afternoon hours. They were visiting from Cumberland County, N.C.

The couple had begun adoption proceedings for the child and her younger brother three months earlier. Shanta, formerly Shante Reid was born in Wilmington to a mother addicted to drugs. The baby tested positive for cocaine at birth.

A review of store surveillance tapes showed that the adoptive mother entered the store alone.

On May 5, 1992, a doctor examined Shanta and pronounced her in excellent health. A month later, Shanta was seen by doctors at Duke University Medical Center for health problems associated with her birth.

According to the records the doctors at Duke noticed physical and mental problems, including bruises, scratches and extreme fear in a child who previously had appeared to be extroverted. She had bitten her fingernails so severely that her fingertips bled.

No charges has been filed in Shanta's disappearance. FBI and Horry County investigators suspect that Shanta never entered South Carolina.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:

Horry County Police Department, SC
Captain Dale Buchanan
843-915-7965

Agency Case Number: 9224486

NCMEC #: NCMC776350

NCIC Number: M780890095


Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
The Sun News 10/3/02
The Doe Network: Case File 348DFSC

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/348dfsc.html
 
2014 article:

On July 19, 1992, 3-year-old Shanta Johnson was reported missing by her adoptive mother, according to a police report from that date.

The parent, Susan M. Johnson, adopted the child three months before, in April, from Social Services, the report says.

According to the report, Johnson said while shopping in the toy department at K-Mart, in what was then Briarcliffe Mall, in North Myrtle Beach at about 3:30 p.m., “she turned and her daughter was missing or taken.”

The reporting officer, D.W. Gibbs, arrived at the scene at 5 p.m. and stayed 45 minutes, the report indicates...

Roper said while the details of a 22-year-old case are hard to remember, Roper did say, “I never felt like [the child] got there.”

He said the FBI was also involved in the case, and he added, “We just never thought she was there.”

Roper said if this incident happened now instead of more than two decades ago, it would be easier to gather information.

“Most large places like K-Mart have very good state-of-the-art camera systems which could have covered more areas,” Roper said.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.myho...43b2370.amp.html?client=ms-android-sonymobile
 
Very sad. He really wishes she had run away. I have a deep hatred for people who abuse children they adopted or fostered. They are cruel and evil narcissists who prey on the most vulnerable children... I hate them...

When she was caught in a lie, not even knowing she had been accused of abuse, it became clear that she killed Shanta. She thought she was smart and that no one would question the public kidnapping of her in the toy department.. I'm glad she received some punishment and I hope she stopped her from adopting more children, but she will probably never be punished for murdering Shanta. I hope her brother was adopted by a loving family because I'm sure he was traumatized by everything that happened.....
rest in peace shanta
 

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