Authorities and Phylicia Simone Barnes’ family believed she would be found safe when she vanished from Baltimore, Maryland in December 2010. But a few months later, in April 2011, authorities spotted what turned out to be Phylicia’s remains in the Susquehanna River. The book “Murdered: Phylicia Simone Barnes” by Crime Junkie details the violent killing and the subsequent investigation, describing how the police made every effort to apprehend the murderer. We have all the information you need if the case has your interest.
How did Phylicia Simone Barnes die?
Born in Monroe, North Carolina, Phylicia Simone Barnes was only 16 at the time of her disappearance. Her loved ones described her as a kind-hearted and vivacious teenager who was very attached to her family and loved spending time with her friends. Also, her Phylicia was a brilliant honors student and reports from her stated that she aspired to attend Towson University after graduating from high school. However, a terrible hate crime ended her dreams forever.
Phylicia was visiting her relatives in Baltimore, Maryland on December 28, 2010, when she disappeared while walking down the street to Reisterstown Road Plaza. While her relatives initially had no idea of her disappearance, they became concerned when Phylicia did not return home within the allotted time. They even tried to reach her by phone but to no avail. Because her friends had no idea where she was, the 16-year-old girl was reported missing to police.
Following the resumption of the inquiry, officials formed search parties and combed the region in search of the missing girl. They even spoke with a number of Phylicia’s friends, but none of them could explain why somebody would want to harm the 16-year-old. On January 2011, the neighbourhood police department declared the case to be serious and even announced it in billboards and commercials, pleading with the public to come forward with any information they may have. Every day that went by, Phylicia’s family began to anticipate the worst, and in April 2011, their worries came true when police discovered human remains in the Susquehanna River close to the Conowingo Dam. The nude body was instantly recognised as belonging to Phylicia Simone Barnes, and an examination revealed that the death was a murder.
As time went by, Phylicia’s family began to anticipate the worst, and their worries were realised in April 2011 when investigators discovered human remains in the Susquehanna River close to the Conowingo Dam. The corpse, which was discovered naked, was instantly recognised as belonging to Phylicia Simone Barnes, and an examination revealed that she had been killed. The authorities, however, have steadfastly refused to divulge any more details on the victim’s cause of death because of the ongoing inquiry.
Who Killed Phylicia Simone Barnes?
The original investigation into Phylicia Simone Barnes’ murder was very challenging since there were no leads or witnesses for the police to investigate. Without success, they looked around the region where the victim’s body was discovered and even spoke to a few of their friends. People were baffled as to why somebody would choose to victimise Phylicia for such a heinous act given that she was a kind person and had no known adversaries. In addition, he vanished and his body was found roughly 45 miles away.
Police had a hard time tracing Phylicia’s movements and determining how her corpse was moved. Authorities made an appeal for assistance from the public and urged anybody with knowledge to come forward, but they were still determined to solve the case. They soon discovered that Phylicia’s ex-boyfriend, Michael Maurice Johnson, was supposedly fascinated with the victim when they spoke with Phylicia’s half-sister, Deena.
Intimate acts between Michael and Phylicia and a few others are reportedly captured on a sex video, according to reports. Even though police claim that Maurice Johnson and Phylicia exchanged more than a thousand text messages in the months preceding his murder, it was evident from the audio that Michael, the youngster, did not really like Maurice Johnson. Detectives also discovered that Michael frequently monitored Phylicia’s whereabouts and used to refer to her as his “little sister.”
Additionally, according to the podcast, Deena said that Michael had previously approached Phylicia with approaches of a sexual nature. It’s interesting that Michael’s text conversations led detectives to believe that he was keeping an eye on Phylicia the night she vanished. By the way, a witness reported seeing Michael labouring that evening to remove a dumpster from the victim’s apartment. One corpse could fit within the container, which proved out to be a 35-gallon plastic tub. While there was no forensic evidence to link Michael to the crime, police arrested him and charged him with murder.
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