The Murder of 3-Year-Old Precious Doe
No one knew the identity of Precious Doe until her grandfather came forward four years later with shocking information.
On April 28, 2001, the body of a 3-year-old girl was found near Hibbs Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The head had been decapitated from the body but found two days later stuffed inside a garbage bag approximatley200 yards from the location of the body. An autopsy confirmed the girl had been sexually assaulted before she was brutally kicked and beaten with an ashtray (found beside her body) and then butchered to death. No one knew the identity of the girl for four long years. Police gave her the nickname, Precious Doe.
Police tested the ashtray for DNA and fingerprints but come back empty-handed. The case was featured on America’s Most Wanted and Cold Case Files several times in an effort to identify the precious little girl. Those efforts were also fruitless.
Meet Harrell & Michelle Green Johnson
Michelle Green and Harrell Johnson married in 2002. The couple relocated from Oklahoma to The "Show Me" state after his release from prison. The couple made their life together without a care in the world.
A Shocking Phone Call to Police
Three years after the couple married, Harrell’s grandfather called the police with a shocking story: he knew the identity of Precious Doe very, very well. He told police the time had come for everyone to know the truth about the toddler and what happened to her all those years before.
Precious Doe was Erica Michelle Marie Green, an Oklahoma girl and the daughter of Michelle.
Stunned investigators could not believe the story the man told them but took the claims very seriously. Police immediately visited Michelle and Harrell’s home and asked them to come to the station for questioning. They agreed.
Michelle Admits to Murder
Michelle did not waste time admitting that she knew who murdered her daughter. She explained to police that Harrell beat the girl to death, and then used a pair of garden shears to decapitate her head. She and Harrell were high on PCP and scared, she told investigators, and they just did not know what to do when Erica died.
Harrell's cousin spoke to the police and told them Michelle helped dispose of Erica's body. All those years ago she claimed that Erica went back to Oklahoma to live with the woman who had raised her for years.
Michelle & Harrell Charged With Murder
Michelle and Harrell were extradited back to Oklahoma from Missouri and charged with Erica’s murder. Michelle agreed to tell police what happened and to testify against her husband.
In 2008, Harrell was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Michelle accepted a plea deal sentencing her to 25 years in prison in exchange for the testimony she provided against her husband. She divorced Harrell after their arrests.
The grandfather who called police to identify Precious Doe as Erica Green was not charged with a crime.
Eight Other Kids in Home
The eight additional children found in the home were removed from the care and custody of Erica and Harrell and placed into Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) custody or with relatives.
Resources & Case Information:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/05/precious.doe/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/beheaded-toddlers-final-days/
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mo-court-of-appeals/1525109.html?fbclid=IwAR0f_Qg8mnkWBhoj295yMNSNiuUJoCeGEs8_NdvZqVluYxihT_8qV8AXb1A
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Comments (1)
Lawanda Driskell said she lived in the house with them and could hear the child screaming from the bedroom at times. My question is why didn't she call the police for possible abuse. When they said the child was sick, she said the mother always had excuses but she believed the excuses. The child could have been saved if this chick helped the child by calling the cops. Now that child was brutally raped, beaten and killed which could have been avoided. Another question is why isn't anyone questioning this Lawanda Driskell person since she didn't do anything to save the child. If I could, I would love to talk to her myself because witnessing such abuse and not doing anything about it makes no sense at all.