Gabriel Johnson

* Living photo
* Age progressed

**Gabriel Johnson** was an infant believed to have been kidnapped and murdered by his non-custodial mother in 2009. Johnson's latest age progression depicts him at 12.

Some believe that he is alive and in foster care.

## Case

### Disappearance

Gabriel Scott Johnson was abducted by his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, from Tempe, Arizona on December, 18, 2009. Elizabeth drove Gabriel to San Antonio, Texas in her grandfather’s white 1995 Oldsmobile Delta 88. While in San Antonio, they stayed in two separate motels in the area. They arrived at their destination on December 22nd and Gabriel was last seen on December 27th. Elizabeth left the same day Gabriel was last seen by greyhound bus, leaving her car behind. She also sent a series of texts to Gabriel’s father, Logan McQueary, saying that she had killed Gabriel and dumped his body in a bin. She sent him multiple calls repeating the same information that day.

Elizabeth was supposed to attend a custody hearing for Gabriel at a family court in Arizona on December 28th but did not show up. As a result a warrant for custodial interference was issued for her. On December 30th, Elizabeth was arrested at a youth hostel in Miami Beach, Florida. She was later indicted for custodial interference, Kidnapping and child abuse.

### Changes in Custody

In March 2010, Logan was granted full custody of Gabriel and Elizabeth was denied any visitation rights to him.

### Investigation

When asked by police, Elizabeth claimed that she had lied in the texts she had sent to Logan and that she had only sent them because she wanted to upset him. According to Elizabeth, she had instead given Gabriel to a man and a woman who she met in a park. She said she had spent a few days with the couple but that she had tried to not remember any significant details about them such as their surnames or what their car looked like so she wouldn’t have been able to find Gabriel if she changed her mind. She stated the woman’s first name was ‘Cheryl’ but that she didn’t remember the man’s name.

Ken Gamble, a private investigator hired by Logan, believes that this is a possibility as he claims to have evidence that a third party arranged to have Elizabeth meet and give Gabriel to this couple. He also believes that the couple where aware that the adoption was illegal and that Gabriel is probably not in the San Antonio area anymore.

Another piece of evidence to support the idea that Gabriel was illegally adopted was that Elizabeth was staying in the Homegate Hotel which is known to be a hotbed for illegal adoptions. Illegal adoption agencies would put biological mothers in the hotel to meet with the child’s new parents and complete paperwork there The child would then usually be handed over in a public place.

The last known photographs where taken of Gabriel in the Homegate hotel. They were found on Elizabeth’s cell phone and several of them show him holding a medicine bottle, possibly containing infant Tylenol. In the photos Gabriel appears to be lethargic. A babysitter who Elizabeth hired during this time stated that she was told to give Gabriel the medicine if he got fussy.

At the time of his disappearance, another couple, Tammi Peters and Jack Smith, where already considering adopting Gabriel. They lived near Gabriel’s home and had spent a few weeks with him in December. However, Logan was strongly opposed to the idea and wanted to keep his son. He later stated that he felt like Tammi and Jack were trying to coerce him into giving up his son. Tammi and Jack are considered persons of interest in the case as they where among the last people to see Gabriel before his abduction. Authorities also believe that they may be withholding information on Gabriel’s whereabouts.

Tammi and Jack have supported Elizabeth and said that they believe Gabriel is safe and might be returned if Logan agrees to give them custody of him.

### Charges

In 2010, Tammi was charged with forgery, custodial interference and conspiracy to commit custodial interference in Gabriel’s case. Court documents state that Tammi made numerous false statements to police and the media and that she withheld information from investigators. She claims this is untrue. Tammi did admit to falsifying a document in order to pretend that one of her biological cousins was Gabriel’s father and not Logan. In May, 2012 she was convicted of all charges.

In May, 2010, Elizabeth confessed to murdering Gabriel to a police officer during a jailhouse interview. Her attorneys stated that this should not be admissible in court as Elizabeth was taking medication at the time and they where not present though.

In jail Elizabeth was disruptive, refused to eat and assaulted other inmates. As a result she was moved to the jail’s psychiatric unit. Logan stated the Elizabeth had been ‘unstable’ while they where dating and had once cut up all of his clothes and ransacked his apartment. Her grandfather believes that she may suffer from bipolar disorder. In June 2010 she was ruled incompetent to stand trial and spent three months receiving treatment for her mental health problems. By September 2010, she was ruled to be competent to stand trial.

Elizabeth’s trial was held in October 2012. She was convicted of custodial interference and unlawful imprisonment. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in relation to kidnapping charges though. She was sentenced to five and a quarter years in prison but was released in July 2014. She had apologised for her actions and stated that she gave Gabriel away because she wanted him to have a better life.

Authorities are investigating Gabriel’s disappearance as a homicide though and they are considering filling charges against Elizabeth.

## Characteristics

* Light brown hair.
* Blue eyes.

## Clothing and accessories

* White flannel pajamas with reindeer, Santas, and Christmas trees on it.
* A white knitted cap with light blue and light green markings on it.
* A blue and white pacifier.

## Gallery

Progressed to age 2Age progression to 5 yearsAge progression to 6 years
## Media

* His case appeared on *America's Most Wanted*

## Sources

* Gabriel Johnson at the *Charley Project*
* Gabriel Johnson at *NCMEC*
* Gabriel Johnson at *NamUs*
* Gabriel Johnson at the *Doe Network*