MO MO - Freda Denman, Sheri & Michael Johnson, Independence, Nov 1974

[smile22]

unless she was held captive and he decided to suddenly kill her beacuse he knew she might escape but 22 years and not being able to escape sounds strange but anything is possible.. it did say she didnt match any missing persons in the country or county if it was country im sure she was looked against freda, if it was county then they prolly did only the surrounding areas

 

[Mr. E]

There have been cases of people -- I guess normally children -- who spend years with an abductor because they have been basically brainwashed. Steven Stayner, for one, who lived for 7 years with his abductor. There was a story about a woman who was abducted near Coos Bay, Oregon and kept for years with a family in California (I think I have the places right). They told people that she was the family nanny, and at one point she even held a job outside the house. She had many opportunities to escape, but her captors had turned her brain into soup, and she had no idea what was real anymore. Same thing happened to Elizabeth Smart, right? She didn't even give her right name when asked by police; said her name was "Augustine."

What if something similar happened to Freda Denman? What if she's been living all this time without a clue about her true identity? I would want to know for sure . . .

 

[shelsearay]

I have an eye toward Doe Network 42UFIL. I have communicated with the Det. in charge, in the past. They worked really hard to convience me this was neither Freda, nor Sheri Lynn. The age range is really closer to 25. They compared hair samples between Freda and their Doe, no match. I let it drop. What I wonder now, is if this is another victim of Franklin Floyd. He might have traveled this highway between Louisville and OKC. Notice the Florida clothing, were these "leftovers" from Sharon? Floyd liked to use a knife. I've been told Floyd traveled to St. Louis. Just throwing that out there.

 

[shadowangel]

Floyd was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. He talked about taking Michael to see them in Matt Bs book...
I've always believed there are other victims of Floyd out there. I have been checking into missing persons reports in SC around '86-'87, the time frame Sharon made the call to her friend Jennifer asking her to come visit (in such a way as to indicate she did not want her to visit). It is possible that Floyd sought another victim after Jennifer refused. AZ is also a likely place he sought victims. Also, I have been looking into any activity Floyd in which Floyd may have been engaged in SC during the early part of '59....

 

[Paradise]

This is quoted from Freda's doenetwork page...

In 2004, the police reopened the investigation in these disappearances. Investigators are running a DNA test on an inmate in Arkansas as possibly being Michael Lloyd Johnson.

What ever became of that?

 

[shadowangel]

I addressed this in my post at the beginning of the thread-the family is trying to arrange this testing, but the person in question has been less than cooperative, as has the FBI in this instance.
As an intersting aside, the family contacted one of the psychics from the show Psychic Detectives. This is not an endorsement of psychics by the family or me, it is merely presented as further information gathered in Freda's case. Please, no arguments on the merits or otherwise of psychics. "She felt Freda was dead, at the sadistic and abusive hand of Henry Harbison. According to her, he found out she was leaving him. He tortured and killed her, left her body lay where he slit her throat. All would fit within his personality. [The psychic] felt the children were "sold". She said Sheri was almost too old, and that they went into a very strict living situation, almost a military type situation, with a very strong Asian connection. At this point, this makes no sense to us. EXCEPT, some of the members of the Church of the New Song, are very heavily into Zen, and oriential culture and probably were, at that time, also.
One thing that struck me when I read this was that this was near the end of the Viet Nam War, and many veterans were returning to the country. The Denman family could not connect Freda or the kids to any vets capable of such things.

 

[shadowangel]

We now have information that Franklin Floyd, Henry Harbison, and David Dial (and Ray McMahon, if he knew this crew) were all in the Atlanta area (and up to no good) in '59-'60. I'm also sure that Ms. Barr was still in town, too. Something tells me that something bad happened....

 

[shelsearay]

And Franklin Floyd and Henry Harbison were in California at the same time, following them being in Atlanta.

 

[shelsearay]

We have located two more members of the Church of the New Song. Funny how some of the Church members now have associations with Zen orginizations. Remember, whether you believe in psychics or not, we were told by a psychic, the children, Sheri Lynn and Michael, were put into a strict Asian environment, almost military-like. We will be contacting these new found associates with our reward information.

 

[camracrazy]

I know this may sound like a stupid question, but are Sheri Lynn's eyes definately brown? I know they look brown in the pics on the Doe Network, and they are listed as brown, but I thought I would verify that info. The reason I ask is that I know someone who seems to fit Sheri's profile fairly well. She looks like the age progression, seems to be the right age (I don't know her exact age), is adopted, has atleast one brother (I don't know if he is her biological brother, or was adopted from elsewhere, or a bio son of her adopted family), and to me looks a lot like the pictures of Freda. Her eyes are more of a hazel color though, so I thought that it was just a coincidence. Then I was watching a show tonight were pictures were shown of a person and their eyes looked really dark in some pics, but in a good closeup of the face, you could tell they were grayish blue. I know it's probably nothing but I find myself clicking on the pics of Sheri and Freda thinking how much of a resemblence there is.

 

[SpongeBathHotPants]

Could she be wearing colored contacts?

 

[*02]

I know this may sound like a stupid question, but are Sheri Lynn's eyes definately brown? I know they look brown in the pics on the Doe Network, and they are listed as brown, but I thought I would verify that info. The reason I ask is that I know someone who seems to fit Sheri's profile fairly well. She looks like the age progression, seems to be the right age (I don't know her exact age), is adopted, has atleast one brother (I don't know if he is her biological brother, or was adopted from elsewhere, or a bio son of her adopted family), and to me looks a lot like the pictures of Freda. Her eyes are more of a hazel color though, so I thought that it was just a coincidence. Then I was watching a show tonight were pictures were shown of a person and their eyes looked really dark in some pics, but in a good closeup of the face, you could tell they were grayish blue. I know it's probably nothing but I find myself clicking on the pics of Sheri and Freda thinking how much of a resemblence there is.

Camracrazy,
People with hazel eyes often have eyes that change from hazel, brown, and green. I am one of these people- when I was a kid my eyes were always listed as brown, as soon as I got my 1st drivers license they listed them as hazel. Check it out if you feel it is a strong enough lead. Good luck!

 

[Paradise]

Could she be wearing colored contacts?

Was there even such a thing back then?!

 

[*02]

Was there even such a thing back then?!

I don't think so, colored contacts in a little girl would be especially strange.

 

[camracrazy]

I think the poster probably meant could she be wearing contacts now, as an older lady. Not when she was a child.

 

[camracrazy]

I was rereading the section of Matt Birkbeck's book "A Beautiful Child" that had info about Freda, Sheri Lynn, and Michael. It said that Freda met Henry Harbison in Chicago when she was "passing through" and Harbison was working as a window washer. Was Sheri born in Chicago? What connections did Freda and Henry have in Chicago?

 

[shelsearay]

Freda and Sheri left Henry, in 1973 and moved back to Wisconsin. I asked Aunts and Uncles who were around Sheri at this young age what color her eyes were. An immediate response was "brown". However, Freda's eyes were hazel. I, too have see children's brown eyes turn lighter as they aged. Henry's eyes were blue; therefore it is entirely possible as an adult Sheri could have hazel eyes. Sheri was born at the Mobile Infirmary in Mobile Alabama in Sept. 1970. We have a newsletter from the hospital documenting the birth. However, we do not know where Sheri's brother Michael was born. There was one of those "hospital" unofficial birth certificates with the baby's footprints, from Montgomery, Al in the papers found in the house. I believe this may have been created by the cons who were outstanding forgers that Henry associated with. Bottom line we're not sure where Michael was born. We know Henry followed Freda to Wisconsin. He threatened to kill her whole family, if she did not marry him. She was almost full term with Michael at the time. That was the last her parents ever saw of her. My husband's former wife ran into her at the K-mart in Independence MO during the summer of 1974. The wife was very angry with my husband, so she didn't tell anyone until after Freda was reported missing the following March.
Henry's connection to Chicago. One can only assume he met someone in Leavenworth that was going to Chicago. His name may have been Dave. The landlady wrote Freda a letter and mentioned that name. He apparently made up a social security number and had a real window washing job for a short time. When he was sent to prison in Alabama for forgery he was after Freda to get his income tax return filed. Oh yes, his name was Michael Johnson at that time.

 

[camracrazy]

Did Freda go to church? Or was the family associated with any particular faith besides Henry's connection with Church of the New Song?

 

[Richard]

I have gotten what I can on him under FOIA. Since the FBI considers him alive (his social does not show he is dead - Death Index) there is a limit to the information I can get. We know he can "blend in". Henry Harbison spent his entire term in the Alabama State Prison system under the name Michael Johnson. They had no idea he'd done two Federal stints under his real name of Henry Harbison. Unfortuately, Alabama is a closed record state. In order to get the FOIA records I could get, I've had to enlist the aid of my state Senator. I've been told such things as, the microfilm machine is broken and other lame excuses for not doing the work they are paid to do. Fortuately, my Senator is on the committe that oversee the FBI, etc. He gets results.

If the FBI considers Harbison to be alive, what warrants do they have out for him? Certainly, they should suspect him of kidnapping and murder in this case. They can't have it both ways. Either they think he is alive and worthy of having his privacy rights protected, or he is a criminal on the run - and it is their duty to try to capture him. Or more correctly stated, it is their duty to produce a warrant with what they know about him so that OTHER police jurisdictions can capture him. Are there any outstanding warrants on Harbison? That is something that any law enforcement agency should be able to check on.

 

[shelsearay]

Sheri attended Sunday school and Church with her mother when they lived in Montgomery. Actually, there are still neighbors who live in the same houses, my sister has spoken with them. I guessing it was probably Baptist, as that was the faith Freda was raised in. I could find out, if it matters.