Johnnie Joe Herrera, missing since 8/27/71

[unsolved88]

Here is a case I've been doing my own informal investigation on for nearly two years. There's a link to the Ventura County Star article on the bottom of the page. I actually provided most of the info in it and even had a 20-minute phone conversation with the writer Cindy von Quednow, I NEVER got any credit for my contributions! I did, however, send this case into the show "Disappeared" as they were looking for case ideas for their upcoming fifth season. A representive from NBC Universal replied said they'd think about it. She said they usually don't profile case over 10 years old, but that there have been exceptions to that rule.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3363dmca.html

Doesn't logic sort of dictate that something happened at the party? It does to me. There is nothing I've read anywhere that explicitly states that Johnnie actually left the party to go home. Being seen at a party is totally different than being seen leaving the party. I've e-mailed the detective in charge of Johnnie's case and she said that the guests at the party were questioned and cleared. However, I'm not totally convinced because she also said that Johnnie's twin brother Joe didn't file a missing persons report until FIVE days after Johnnie was allegedly last seen, which would have left ample time for other attendees of the party (assuming they were responsible) to cook up a convincing alibi to give authorities when questioned. It certainly wouldn't be the first time people acting in collusion were able to pull the wool over LE's eyes.

I was also able to find pictures of Johnnie's son as an adult and the house where he was living and possibly the house where the party was held (difficult to say since I've only ever seen the location of the party listed as the "700 block of W. Cedar Street in Oxnard").

What do y'all think happened?

[Schmoopie]

Wow, missing since 1971? That's horrible! If I were this person's parents, I'd be a basketcase by now! Hope the person is found for if no other reason than to give the family some closure.

[unsolved88]

Wow, missing since 1971? That's horrible! If I were this person's parents, I'd be a basketcase by now! Hope the person is found for if no other reason than to give the family some closure.

Unfortunately, both of Johnnie's parents, the wife he left behind, and his eldest brother Fernando (there were seven children in all) are all deceased.

Johnnie's son Johnnie Jr. is married and lives in Texas with his wife and two daughters. Johnnie's wife, whose name was Annette, moved to Texas at some point after Johnnie vanished. She remarried in 1978 (the same year Johnnie was declared legally dead) and had two daughters with her second husband.

As I stated before, the house where Johnnie was living at the time and the 700 block of W. Cedar Street are only a few minutes apart. The McDonald's on Saviers Road where Johnnie may have been seen (the restaurant is still there today, BTW) is only about seven minutes from his home. Here's a map showing the route from his home to the location of the party.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=700+W+Cedar+St,+Oxnard,+CA&daddr=1325+W+Juniper+St,+Oxnard,+CA+93033&hl=en&geocode=FZCbCQId-mDl-ClrKBEkiE7ogDHTsgxv5oz0Ng%3BFe6KCQIdEEPl-CnVImQVZE7ogDHGGYI4vGk4xw&aq=0&oq=7&sll=37.09024,-95.712891&sspn=34.724817,86.572266&vpsrc=6&mra=ls&ie=UTF8&ll=34.181595,-119.187777&spn=0.008858,0.021136&t=m&z=16&layer=c&ei=AfGmT-6sGY6eygSn4eSuBw&pw=2

I really don't believe that Johnnie simply had an accident. I think if that were the case, he and the car would have been found very soon afterward. Even if he crashed into a body of water, I still think something would be found. I believe there is some type of foul play involved.

[unsolved88]

I know this UID was found in New Jersey several years after Johnnie went missing, but does anyone else see a lot of similarities between Johnnie and the reconstruction?

http://doenetwork.org/cases/5umnj.html

[TracyLynnS]

I know this UID was found in New Jersey several years after Johnnie went missing, but does anyone else see a lot of similarities between Johnnie and the reconstruction?

http://doenetwork.org/cases/5umnj.html

Lots of similarities, imo. I guess the biggest difference is the estimated DOB being about 11 years later than Johnnie. They do have DNA available on both Johnnie and the UID. Did you submit it to the doenetwork as a possible match?

[unsolved88]

Lots of similarities, imo. I guess the biggest difference is the estimated DOB being about 11 years later than Johnnie. They do have DNA available on both Johnnie and the UID. Did you submit it to the doenetwork as a possible match?

I actually submitted Johnnie as a possible match to the NJ Police Detective Donna Fontana (who is in charge of the John Doe case).

As far as the age, those estimates are often way off. I remember a Jane Doe listed on the Doe Network years ago whose estimated age was 18-30. She was later identified as Cynthia Louise Vanderbeek, who was 47 when she disappeared. So the estimates are really only guesswork.

[unsolved88]

Sent an e-mail to Donna Fontana, the NJ detective in charge of the John Doe last night and already got a response. She thanked me and said she'd look into it.

[TracyLynnS]

Sent an e-mail to Donna Fontana, the NJ detective in charge of the John Doe last night and already got a response. She thanked me and said she'd look into it.

That's great! I'm so glad to see that these folks are not being forgotten.

[unsolved88]

That's great! I'm so glad to see that these folks are not being forgotten.

Sadly, the NJ PD seemed nicer to me than the Oxnard PD who are in charge of Johnnie case. I sent an e-mail to the Oxnard PD with some questions about the case and I was sent a rather curt, abrupt e-mail telling me that they wouldn't give me any info since I'm not an involved party. They seemed almost annoyed at my interest in the case.

No wonder it's never been solved! :rolleyes:

[unsolved88]

Bump.

[unsolved88]

Bump.Tomorrow will be the 18th anniversary of Johnnie's wife Annette's death. She died without ever knowing what happened to her first husband and father of her only son.

RIP Annette.

[unsolved88]

I've created and posted a video about Johnnie's case on a certain site. Just type in his full name (Johnnie Joe Herrera) into the site's search engine and it should be the first video listed. Let me know what you think.

[unsolved88]

I'm sending a letter on Monday to Dateline NBC producer David Corvo asking if they are interested in Johnnie's case. With any luck, he or someone on the staff will receive it and get back to me one way or the other.

[TracyLynnS]

I'm sending a letter on Monday to Dateline NBC producer David Corvo asking if they are interested in Johnnie's case. With any luck, he or someone on the staff will receive it and get back to me one way or the other.

I hope someone at Dateline pays attention and takes an interest in this. Thanks for not getting discouraged and for continuing to work on it. :)

[unsolved88]

I hope someone at Dateline pays attention and takes an interest in this. Thanks for not getting discouraged and for continuing to work on it. :)

Thanks. I actually sent an e-mail to the show, but I'm also sending a hard copy letter to them just to get their attention. Anyone can send an e-mail nowadays, but sometimes people really get the point when they have a tangible letter in the mail rather than an e-mail which can always end up being deleted, either accidentally or intentionally.

As you can see, I've made Johnnie my avatar after seven years of not having one.

[unsolved88]

I sent an actual copy of my e-mail to Dateline NBC via snail mail this morning. In the envelope (addressed directly to the show's executive producer David Corvo), I also made sure to include the pics of Johnnie I'd printed out, pictures of the house he grew up in and and a house on the block of where the party was held, and the VC Star article. I put my direct telephone number in there as well if they want to speak directly to me.

[Zero]

I'm assuming you haven't heard back from the detective in New Jersey yet.

???

[unsolved88]

I'm assuming you haven't heard back from the detective in New Jersey yet.

???

Well, she got back to me saying that she would look into Johnnie possibly being a match, but I've heard nothing since then.

[unsolved88]

I just received a registered letter from Dateline NBC thanking me, but saying that the case isn't what they were looking for and encouraging me to pursue other programs.

I'm going to write to 48 Hours Mystery.

[TracyLynnS]

I just received a registered letter from Dateline NBC thanking me, but saying that the case isn't what they were looking for and encouraging me to pursue other programs.

I'm going to write to 48 Hours Mystery.

Dangit. :(

Hopefully 48 Hours will consider it.

[unsolved88]

Dangit. :(

Hopefully 48 Hours will consider it.

Just sent the letter to 48 Hours yesterday, along with all the research and pics that Dateline returned to me. Fingers crossed.