Nicole Michelle Johnson was stopped late at night by Baltimore police on July 28, 2021. Police stopped her speeding car. Her car had counterfeit tags, and she had no license or insurance. She was told she would have to appear in court in a few days, and she was told her car was going to be towed.
Johnson opened the trunk of her car to gather a plastic bag and tote box to take with her. Suspicious, the officer asked her to open the bag. It revealed a suitcase. The officer could smell decomposition and insisted the suitcase be opened.
Inside the trunk were the decomposing bodies of 2 children. Authorities later determined one body was that of her niece Joshlyn Marie James Johnson (aged 7, weighing about 18lbs/8kg when she died). She died about May 2020. Johnson admitted Joshlyn had been beaten and said she fell and hit her head.
The second body, in the tote, was her nephew Larry Darnell O’Neal (aged 5, weighing about 21lbs/9.5kg). She said he died a few months before her car was stopped.
The weight of an average 7-year-old girl in America is 50lb 8 oz (22.9 kg). The weight of an average 5-year-old boy in America is 40lb 13 oz (18.5 kg).
Joshlyn and Larry were her sister’s children. She had temporary custody, and their unknowing mother had been trying to get them back. Arrangements were made earlier this year for the transfer, but Johnson did not show.
Baltimore County Police have charged Johnson, 33, with failure to report the deaths of the children, child abuse resulting in death, and neglect. Those charges may change based on further investigation.
Johnson is presumed innocent until found guilty in a fair court of law.
E. Kelly Hemingway | Last updated August 1, 2021