Gilliam, circa 1979; Gary Johnson, circa 2000
- Missing Since 06/22/1979
- Missing From San Jose, California
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race White
- Date of Birth 04/20/1960 (63)
- Age 19 years old
- Height and Weight 5'8, 110 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description Jeans.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Gilliam may use the last name Johnson.
Details of Disappearance
Gilliam met Gary Neal Johnson while hitchhiking in San Jose, California in 1977. A photo of Johnson is posted with this case summary. Gilliam was seventeen years old at the time and in high school; Johnson was twelve years older than her and lived with his parents while selling automotive chemicals.
According to Johnson, Gilliam had an unhappy and allegedly abusive home life. He stated Gilliam had many siblings and acted as the caregiver to the children. Johnson claimed he witnessed Gilliam's mother abuse her daughter shortly after they began dating. Gilliam decided to leave her residence shortly afterwards and she and Johnson hitchhiked to Kansas together.
Johnson said that he and Gilliam were happy in Kansas, but had financial problems and returned to San Jose to live with his parents six months later. Gilliam was employed in a hospital and earned her GED and her California Nurse's Aide license. She and Johnson moved into an apartment in the 200 block of Union Avenue in Campbell, California when their finances allowed it.
The couple embarked on a six-week camping trip through the United States during the late spring of 1979. They returned to San Jose and found new jobs in June of that year.
Gilliam had been employed at Skyline Convalescent Hospital as a nurse's aide for three weeks on June 22, 1979. She was sent home from work on that day when she failed to arrive in her uniform. According to Johnson, Gilliam was last seen returning to their residence and disappeared. She has never been seen again.
Johnson said that he realized Gilliam was missing when he returned home from work that evening. He stated that he searched for her and called the authorities, but was told he had to wait 72 hours before filing a report.
Johnson enlisted the help of the San Jose mayor's office on June 25, three days after Gilliam vanished, when he was still refused assistance from law enforcement. He said that the mayor's office intervened and requested that the police and the media investigate Gilliam's case.
When he filed the missing persons report, he described Gilliam as his wife although they were not legally married. Her case grew cold and remained unsolved over the next several years.
Johnson married in 1985 and began using drugs around that time. He began selling drugs around 1986 and shot and killed an innocent bystander, James J. Carver, while involved in a drug transaction. Johnson was convicted of the murder in the late 1980s. He was also charged with attempting to murder his former wife, but the outcome of that is unknown.
Johnson claimed that a prison informant lied to authorities and told them he had admitted to Gilliam's 1979 murder. Johnson was charged with the crime and brought to trial in California. Several of Gilliam's family members testified that they believed Johnson was responsible for her death. He was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Johnson maintains his innocence and is hoping to build public support in order to overturn his conviction for Gilliam's murder. He has accepted responsibility for Carver's death. It is worth noting that if Johnson's conviction for Gilliam's case is overturned, he would become eligible for parole in the future.
Gilliam's body has never been located.
Investigating Agency
- San Jose Police Department 408-277-8900
Source Information
Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 22, 2006; clothing description added, details of disappearance updated.
