On Wednesday, August 8, the Scott County Sheriff Department responded to a call of a burned-out car that was abandoned on a Bienville National Forest service road. When deputies arrived on scene they made a shocking discovery of what appeared to be severely burned human remains in the torched car. Authorities said that the body was so badly burned that the Scott County Coroner was unable to make a final determination as to the identity of the victim.
The car was burned so badly that authorities were not able to determine the color of the vehicle until the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) was located and a vehicle search was completed. From the moment the body was located the location of the torched car led law enforcement authorities to believe foul play is definitely involved and that they were investigating a homicide where the perpetrator used arson in the attempt to destroy vital evidence of the crime.
“We received a call from a Bienville National Forest worker at 11:45 a.m. on August 8 about a burned out car on a service road off of Hillsboro Road East of Morton,“ said Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee. “When deputies arrived, they observed what they believed to be human remains in the backseat area of the car but the car was burned to the point that neither sex nor gender could be determined.”
WLBT in Jackson reports, that one family believes that the victim is their missing loved one. Vickey Turner fought back tears as she talked about her niece, 32-year-old Latasha Patrick Johnson who she believes will be identified as the body found in the car. She said Johnson dropped off her kids at school August 6 and she has not be seen since.
“Her brother had called my mom and he couldn’t get in touch with her and asked would I call her and see if she would answer the phone,” Turner told WLBT. “I called and text her and she wouldn’t answer me”
Less than 24 hours later, Turner says the family got word that a body was found in a charred car. Turner claims the vehicle matches the one her niece was driving when she went missing.
At this point Johnson’s family members are all but certain that the charred remains found off Hillsboro Road East of Morton is Johnson, but are having to wait for a final identification through DNA testing. While the family of Johnson is convinced she is the victim of this crime the SCSD is following all leads. We are following leads of a missing female, but it’s to early to make an actual determination if it’s her or not,” said Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee.
As the family waits to find out if the victim is in fact Johnson the SCSD is treating this case as a homicide and has full investigation underway. “We believe foul play is involved due to how the car was burned and where the car was located,” said Sheriff Lee. “The car was left on a service road that no one lives on and this remote location leads us to believe the perpetrator intentionally picked this location to hide the crime.”
If anyone has information concerning this case they can contact the Scott County Sheriff Department.
