Phylicia Barnes was a 16-year-old honor student from Monroe, North Carolina, who had plans to attend Towson University in Maryland after she graduated. Sadly, her plans would never come to fruition.
Phylicia vanished on December 28, 2010, while visiting her half-sister in Baltimore. She was last seen near the Reisterstown Road Plaza. Her sudden disappearance prompted a widespread search, garnering national media coverage and comparisons to the Natalee Holloway case.
On April 20, 2011, her body was discovered in the Susquehanna River near the Conowingo Dam, approximately 45 miles from where she was last seen. The cause of death was ruled a homicide, though specific details were initially withheld to protect the investigation.
In April 2012, Michael Johnson, the ex-boyfriend of Phylicia’s half-sister, was arrested and charged with her murder. Prosecutors alleged that Johnson asphyxiated Phylicia and transported her body in a plastic storage container. The case against him was largely circumstantial, lacking direct physical evidence.
Johnson’s first trial in 2013 resulted in a conviction for second-degree murder, but the verdict was overturned, leading to a second trial that ended in a mistrial. In 2018, during a third trial, the judge acquitted Johnson, citing insufficient evidence and too many unanswered questions. This acquittal is final, and Johnson cannot be retried for the same charges.
Despite the acquittal, Phylicia’s family continues to seek justice. In 2012, Maryland enacted “Phylicia’s Law,” mandating the state to publish a list of missing children and statistics, aiming to improve the response to such cases.
In 2024, Michael Johnson was arrested on unrelated charges involving the alleged rape and assault of a 19-year-old woman in Baltimore County. According to reports, the victim accused Johnson of a prolonged attack, including strangulation and sexual assault. Phylicia’s father, Russell Barnes, expressed that the new allegations brought back painful memories and reinforced his belief that Johnson holds key information about his daughter’s death.
As of May 2025, the murder of Phylicia Barnes remains officially unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 