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Precious Doe's identity discovered


Queen Prawn

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I saw this case several timeson Cold Case Files. May she rest in peace.

 

Girl Found Decapitated In 2001 No Longer Called 'Precious Doe'

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In a brief news release sent to the media early Thursday morning, Kansas City police announced that the young girl known for the past four years as Precious Doe had been identified.

 

The girl referred to as 'Precious Doe' since 2001, whose decapitated body was found in Kansas City, Mo., has been identified as Erica Michelle Maria Green, 3.

 

The girl, whose decapitated body was found near 59th Street and Kensington April 28, 2001, was identified as Erica Michelle Maria Green, 3.

 

Police went to Muskogee, Okla., this week to check out a tip that an Oklahoma woman was the mother of the young girl.

 

The information came from an Oklahoma man who contacted Kansas City activist Alonzo Washington after seeing an advertisement in a Kansas City newspaper. Washington helped keep media attention focused on the case over the years.

 

The man claimed to know the identity of Precious Doe and who killed her. Washington said the man claimed that the mother of Precious Doe came to Kansas City in 2001 seeking a job, but became involved in drugs. The man with the tip was a relative of the Johnsons, officials said.

 

Two people were taken into custody in Oklahoma in connection with the case. The Muskogee Phoenix newspaper identified the pair as Harrell Johnson, 25, and Michelle Johnson, 30, both of Muskogee.

 

Kansas City police and city leaders held a news conference Thursday morning to talk about the case and announce charges. Jackson County, Mo., prosecutor Mike Sanders said Michelle Johnson was charged with one count of felony murder and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. The stepfather, Harrell Johnson, was not charged.

 

"Additional charges in this case are likely and (will be announced) very soon," Sanders said.

 

According to court documents, Green was allegedly kicked in the head by her stepfather and was unresponsive for two days. Investigators claim that the Johnsons did not seek help for the young girl and she died. Her body was later disposed of in a wooded area. The child's head was severed and placed in a trash bag, which was found a few days after her body was discovered.

 

Community Reacts To News

 

Washington went to Hibbs Park in Kansas City Thursday morning where a memorial had been set up for Precious Doe. He told KMBC-TV in Kansas City that he was overjoyed that the case had been solved.

 

"I was out here just Thursday, saying that one tip can solve this case. I did not know two days later that tip would come in," Washington said. "So I'm overjoyed and happy to know that Erica Green is Precious Doe. We have a name to our child."

 

Teresa Perry of the Precious Doe committee said that she cried when she heard the news.

 

"This is wonderful news. This is a blessing. We're thanking God," Perry said.

 

A retired postal worker who found the girl's head days after her body was discovered said he is very happy the young girl has been identified.

 

"Oh, I feel great that we got a name for somebody that we really didn't who it was. Now we have a name and hopefully we can close this. It's not Precious Doe. We do have a name," Billy Stegall said.

 

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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