Post by Scumhunter on Jun 29, 2022 17:05:48 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: projectcoldcase.org)
From The Des Moines Register (desmoinesregister.com): (2014)
On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 10, 1987, a fisherman discovered the body of a young white male, later identified as Kenny Joe Johnson, lying on the sandy beach area near a floodgate in Dubuque’s isolated Maus Park. The fisherman found the boy rolled in a 5-foot-by-9-foot piece of yellow-orange nylon carpet dumped at the park. An autopsy report stated the teen died by manual strangulation and also had been sexually assaulted. He also had a small amount of alcohol in his system.
Johnson had behavioral problems, which likely stemmed from a learning disability that wasn’t always handled appropriately. He originally resided in the Davenport area but had been court-ordered to the Hillcrest Family Services program in Dubuque about one month prior to his death. On Sept. 22, 1987, Johnson began his short stay at Hillcrest House. He started classes at Central Alternative High School in early October, and a few days later — Oct. 8, 1987 — got into a dispute with a teacher. Instead of reporting to the principal’s office at 9:30 a.m., the teen ran away. It was the third time he had run away in the two weeks that he’d been in Dubuque, and it was the last time anyone saw him alive.
In the days and week after the slaying, police followed up on hundreds of leads and implored anyone who knew anything about the case to step forward. Despite searching nearly three decades, investigators still haven’t been able to establish a clear picture of the teen’s whereabouts in the two days leading up to his death.
Investigators said the way Johnson’s body and evidence of his assault had been haphazardly disguised provided them with insight into the killer’s personality. They speculated the killer was a loner who had poor interpersonal relationship skills and had trouble making friends. Police theorized that even with antisocial tendencies, the killer had difficulty coping with the murder and probably told someone.
Cold Case breakdown
WHO: Kenny Joe Johnson
AGE: 14
DIED: Oct. 10, 1987
LOCATION: Dubuque
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact Cpl. Chris Gorrell at 563-587-3806 or by email at cgorrell@cityofdubuque.org.
www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2016/05/28/gone-cold-kenny-joe-johnson-killed-1987/85093320/
Thoughts? The above article is from 2016 but Kenny's case is still listed as an unsolved homicide on the Project: Cold Case database as of today's posting date (June 29th, 2022).
database.projectcoldcase.org/?name=johnson&gender=&race=&age=14&city=&state=Iowa&zip=&county=&weapon=&offense=&status=&year=&lea=&reported_min=&reported_max=&more=
Additionally, last year, police appealed the public for information related to the man named Eugene Lewis, who lived in Dubuque around the time of Kenny's murder. Lewis himself was murdered in Minneapolis in 2002.
www.kcrg.com/2021/08/05/dubuque-police-looking-information-man-possibly-connected-1987-murder-14-year-old-boy/
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