A coroner says long-unidentified remains found in 1974 have been positively identified as an Ohio teenager missing for 35 years.
The Montgomery County Coroners Office says DNA tests identified the remains of the child known as Boy X as Jimmy Dean Johnson.
The 14-year-old ran away from a Cincinnati home for trouble children shortly before the body was found, bound and beaten, near a railroad embankment in Dayton.
Officials exhumed the remains in October after the boys sister, Rosie Johnson, contacted the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab.
Johhson, who lives in Alabama, had read a Dayton Daily News article about the case and suspected Boy X might be her long-lost brother.
Years ago when living early 1970's in Wilmington Ohio _ i remember seeing a story in {Ohio?} newspaper about a young "John Doe" found alongside a railroad track. It was thought He'd tried to hop a ride and fell off there was speculation he was a immigrant looking for work . Had a morgue picture. Can't remember if case was ever solved-nor which town he was found by.
What a sad story for this child. Shuffled from foster home to foster home since he was two only to end up strangled and left to lie in the elements and remain unidentified for 35 yrs.
Rest in Peace James Dean Johnson. Prayers for your loved ones who agonized about your being missing for decades.
Interesting blog with lots of details of James “Jimmy” life and a theory of the potential killer. The author takes a swipe at Websleuths but hey that’s alright, I’m a thick skinned biddie!
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