logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
51m 16s

Unsolved Suspicious Death: LaVena Johnso...

Studio 222
About this episode

When a Missouri honor student decides to follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the Army after highschool, she’s soon deployed to Iraq, where her life ends under unthinkable circumstances. After receiving contradictory information regarding his daughter’s death, her father—a doctor of behavioral psychology—attempts to piece together what really happened in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

If you have any information about the death of LaVena Johnson, please call report your tip to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. You can submit a tip online at: https://www.cid.army.mil/Submit-a-Tip/

 

Also, in light of the subjects we’ve discussed in this episode, there are two resources we want to make sure you’re aware of: The National Sexual Assault Hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673, and the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, which can be reached by dialing 988. Both of these resources are available 24/7—you’re never alone. So please, if you’re struggling with trauma related to sexual assault, or suicidal thoughts—give them a call.

 

See photos from this episode and check out the sources we used to research it here: 

https://lastseenalivepodcast.com/2023/07/17/unsolved-suspicious-death-lavena-johnson/

 

Up next
Jul 7
Unsolved Disappearance: Patrick Carnes (Revisited Case)
When an elderly World War II veteran and his loyal dog embark on a cross-country road trip, all goes smoothly until they reach The Big Lonely: a remote stretch of highway in the northern Nevada desert suspected to be a hunting ground for serial killers. The unexplained disappeara ... Show More
31m 28s
Jun 30
Unsolved Homicide: Sarah Saganitso
When an Arizona woman fails to return home from her late-night shift at the hospital where she works, her family and friends launch a search and locate her battered body. Her accused killer raises one of the most outrageous defenses ever entertained in criminal court in this epis ... Show More
39m 13s
Jun 23
Unsolved Homicide: Kanika Powell (Revisited Case)
When a young soldier leaves the Army to work as a physics lab security specialist with a top-secret clearance, civilian life turns out to be more dangerous than anything she faced in uniform. After a series of strange events culminates in her being brutally gunned down, the myste ... Show More
36m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Revisited: LaVena Johnson
Ep 134: This week we're taking the week off, but revisiting an episode with you from one of our earliest cases. Next week we'll be back with new episodes every Tuesday.___Lavena Johnson was just a few days shy of her 20th birthday when her body was found lifeless in a tent on a U ... Show More
34m 52s
Jan 2022
Fugitive who faked death nearly killed by Covid / Boy reported dead by mom found alone in motel
In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An American man accused of sex crimes in multiple states reportedly died from cancer in 2020. Now authorities say he faked his death and became an international fugitive, after he's caught in a Scottish hospital with a near-fatal case of C ... Show More
46m 53s
Apr 2023
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Elizabeth Santos
Elizabeth Santos’ unexpected and tragic death in 2020 left behind a million questions. Some believe it was the result of a mental health crisis, but many of her loved ones think she’s a victim of foul play, and they’ve been pushing for answers.The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Mon ... Show More
55m 7s
Aug 2022
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF: Davina Buff Jones
When Officer Davina Buff Jones is found dead in the middle of her shift on Bald Head Island, those in power are quick to rule her death a suicide. But the more her family learns about the circumstances surrounding her death, the more certain they are that someone got away with mu ... Show More
1h 6m
Jun 2024
Teen taken from school before desert slaying; DNA links her killer to multiple missing women
This Week on True Crime News the Podcast: A teen’s disappearance from school is treated like a runaway case despite her parents’ concerns, until the girl’s body is found in a shallow desert grave. Years after her brutal murder, DNA finds the man responsible for her tragic death.M ... Show More
53m 52s
Jun 2020
98: Every Move You Make: Double Murderer--LC Underwood: PART 1 of 2
In 1994, North Carolina detectives began investigating a former police officer named L.C. Underwood. He was connected to two murders, that at first, didn’t seem to have any connection. The investigative team, led by Detective Sergeant Paula May, would go on an odyssey, uncovering ... Show More
48m 4s
Jul 2020
Episode 157: The Senseless Murder of Vanessa Guillen
Specialist Vanessa Guillen went missing from Fort Hood Military Base on April 22, 2020. She was last seen at the armory and the last person she was seen working alongside was fellow soldier and specialist Aaron Robinson. Weeks before her disappearance, she told those closest to h ... Show More
50m 11s
Jul 2019
Episode 82: The Tragic Case of Susan Powell Mini Morbid
In Ash's Alaina-length Mini Morbid, she bravely took on the heartbreaking mystery of Susan Powell's disappearance and the murder of her two beautiful boys. It's one part mystery, one part horrific Texas Chainsaw Massacre family dynamic and one part absolutely devastating murder/s ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2021
S10 E7: [Nadia] Something in His Eyes
This week, Nadia shares her Aunt Beth's survivor story.In the 1970s, Beth was struck by a drunk driver and was thankfully saved with the help of her friends and a good samaritan named Bruce. Out of an overwhelming amount of gratitude to who she felt was her hero, Beth insisted on ... Show More
27m 45s