Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Shanta Marie Johnson
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
missing person case update January 2023 found new details posted
Shanta, date, approximate 1992; Age-progression to age 22 (date, approximate 2011)
Date Missing 07/19/1992
Missing From
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
Black
Date of Birth 01/03/1989 (33)
Age 3 years old
Height and Weight 3'0, 44 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A navy blue t-shirt with the cartoon character Mickey Mouse, white shorts and white sneakers 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.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Shanta may use the name Shante Reid; it was her birth name.
Details of Disappearance Shanta's foster mother, Susan Marie 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 .
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 Department of Social Services (DSS) still had 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 hospital nurse 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 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 remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office
919-323-1500
Other
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
The State
The Sun News
The Wilmington Star-News
The Fayetteville Observer

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.



Missing Person Photos

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos