Remains Of Missing Indigenous Woman Found Five Years After $400,000 Abuse Settlement
Authorities in Washington state confirmed that human remains found earlier in June belong to Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, a 39-year-old member of the Tulalip Tribes who disappeared in November 2020.
Johnson-Davis was last seen walking along Firetrail Road in the Tulalip Reservation just days before Thanksgiving.
Her husband called her family to report she was missing. In the months after her disappearance, he left the state and changed his phone number, according to family members.
Highlights
- Human remains found in June in North Snohomish County belonged to Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis, missing since November 2020 on the Tulalip Reservation.
- Johnson-Davis was last seen near Firetrail Road; her husband reported her missing but later left the state and changed his phone number.
- DNA confirmed identity; the case remains active with the FBI and Tulalip Police Department investigating.
- Her disappearance spurred a documentary and led to the creation of statewide alerts for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Authorities confirmed that human remains of an Indigenous woman who went missing in 2020 were found in June
Image credits: Tulalip Police Department
The FBI in Seattle said Friday that DNA analysis confirms that the remains recovered in June in a remote area of North Snohomish County match Johnson-Davis. The site is roughly 30 miles from where she was last seen.
Authorities have not publicly named any suspects, though her husband was considered a person of interest in 2021.
Johnson-Davis’s sisters, Nona Blouin and Gerry Davis, had also claimed Johnson-Davis was estranged from her husband, and at the time she disappeared, she was attempting to meet someone who had agreed to give her a ride.
Image credits: Tulalip Police Department
“Tulalip Police Department is heartbroken to confirm that human remains have been positively identified as Mary Johnson-Davis,” said Shawn V. Ledford, chief of the Tulalip Police Department.
“Identification was confirmed through DNA analysis conducted by a forensic laboratory, and next of kin have been notified.
“This case remains an active and ongoing investigation, and the Tulalip Police Department will continue to work in partnership with the family and the FBI.”
Ledford added, “Mary’s family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the community for their assistance and compassion throughout the past five years of searching for Mary, which ultimately led to her being found.”
Johnson-Davis was reported missing by her husband, who later left the state and changed his phone number
Image credits: FBI
Blouin and Davis, in a statement, said that their hearts were heavy with this new information.
“We are in disbelief that we will never see Mary again. We all wanted her to come home. She is now being brought back to us, but not like we hoped,” they said.
“It feels like we are in a dream, wanting to wake up and see her. At the same time, our family finally has closure.”
Mary Johnson-Davis had experienced trauma in her early life. She and her sister were placed in foster care with a non-Native family and suffered sexual abuse.
The sisters later sued Washington State and child protective services, winning $400,000 settlements for psychological damage.
Her disappearance sparked a reward, a documentary film called Missing From Fire Trail Road, and a successful movement to create statewide alerts for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Image credits: FBI
The FBI and Tulalip Tribes now offer a $60,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for Johnson-Davis’s disappearance.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 50% of Native American women are victims of sexual violence, with four out of five experiencing some form of violence.
The DOJ report also notes that Indigenous women are more likely to be harassed by non-Native men.
Her disappearance led to the creation of a statewide alert system for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Image credits: FBI
“We've learned through doing research that some of the men in jail would say, ‘You can go rape an Indian woman and you won’t get caught,’” Deborah Parker, former vice chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes, said in Missing From Fire Trail Road.
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the FBI’s Seattle Field Office at 206-622-0460, 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
The cause and manner of Johnson-Davis’ death remain under investigation.