WHO'S THE OLDER MAN JANTEYL ALLEGEDLY LEFT WITH?

By: Claudia Rivero

When someone disappears investigators usually focus on the people closest to the missing person including family members, significant others, and friends. In Janteyl Johnson's case, since she was five months pregnant when she vanished in 2010, the focus was on her boyfriend; the individual she identified to her family as the father of her baby. He was considered a person of interest at one point and was questioned by the New Castle County Police but to no avail. The NCCPD has released few details about Janteyl's case other than to say that they believe she ran away, possibly with an older man. According to the Johnson family, the man Janteyl said was the father of her baby was the last person who contacted her the afternoon she disappeared.

So who is this older man? As I've mentioned previously, I'm not identifying the individual since he hasn't been named a suspect in this case. According to the Johnson family, they reached out to this man when Janteyl disappeared. They reportedly asked him if he knew anything about their daughter's whereabouts, they posted flyers of Janteyl in his neighborhood, they knocked on doors, they reached out to his family, but nothing.

Fast forward to 2013. According to court records, this individual was arrested for domestic violence involving the mother of one of his children. Court records detail the vicious attack against the young  woman for which he was facing five years in prison but was instead sentenced to two years probation and ordered to stay away from the victim. It was a negotiated plea deal in which both parties, with input from the victim, agreed to 18 months probation. The judge, however, extended the sentence to 24 months. 

If...IF... this same individual was allegedly the last person who possibly had contact with Janteyl Johnson then it raises even more questions about her disappearance given the nature of his actions in 2013. But according to Robert Lowery Jr., VP of the Missing Children Division at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the biggest challenge investigators face is the lack of concrete evidence in Janteyl's case.

"Police, of course, have looked at a number of leads regarding that individual, and I’m certain if they can locate him it would be very important for him to give us information about where Janteyl may be,” Lowery said. He also adds that it's important to keep an open mind.

“It’s always possible that she wasn’t with that person, and that has to be considered as well.”

Were there other older men that Janteyl was in contact with? Yes, according to investigators. While there are no definitive answers in Janteyl's disappearance, it seems logical to go back to the person who allegedly last contacted her and who she identified to her family as the father of her child, especially if the same individual has a history of violence against women. 

​If you know anything about Janteyl Johnson's disappearance contact The New Castle County Police Department at (302) 395-8172.

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