On July 28, the eighth anniversary of her disappearance, family and friends came together to remember Alisha "Lisa" Johnson. They hope that someone will come forward with information about her murder.
Johnson was 19 when she vanished from the Mount Vernon Avenue area of Alexandria on July 28, 1996. "She had gone out to a club with some friends and came home at about 3 a.m. to get some clothes," said Michelle Johnson, Lisa's sister. "A friend of hers wanted her to go to her new apartment and spend the night. We never saw her after that."
Michelle Johnson says Lisa did spend the night with the friend in an apartment on Four Mile Road. That friend said she left to go to McCrory's on Mount Vernon Avenue some time Sunday afternoon, July 28, and never returned. "She was going to get some hair gel and was supposed to go back to her friend's house," Michelle Johnson said.
Two days after Lisa's disappearance, her family reported her missing to the Alexandria police. "We waited because she had her own place and she didn't get in touch with us every day," Michelle Johnson said. "But after a few days when no one had seen her, we got worried."
On Aug. 4, 1996, a resident of Marshall, Va., in Fauquier County, discovered a human leg. Police dogs found a second leg later that week. Although teams searched a four square mile area, no other body parts were ever found. It took DNA testing results in November, 2002, for Alexandria police to be notified that the legs were Lisa Johnson's.
"Until then, I didn't think my sister was dead," Michelle Johnson said. "I just thought that she wanted to go some place and start over.
"We had a hard life and Lisa didn't always pick the best friends. She had problems, like all of us, but she didn't have a chance to make things better," she said.
That life included having two children. At the time of Lisa's disappearance, her daughter was four years old and her son was one year old. "They live with their grandmothers," Michelle Johnson said. "Lisa's daughter remembers her a little bit but her son doesn't remember her at all. We have told them that she is dead but haven't told them any of the circumstances."
AT THE MEMORIAL service last week, Lisa's uncle, Wayne Johnson, spoke. "Please help us get justice for Lisa Johnson," he said. "Eight years has passed since Lisa disappeared and was murdered. No one has ever been charged with her murder. Lisa deserves justice. She is our daughter, our sister, our cousin, our friend, our neighbor. We miss her and we want her killer to know that we will not give up."
Michelle believes that someone does know something about Lisa's disappearance.
"I just hope that someone will come forward so that we can have some closure. We can't even bury her," Michelle Johnson said.
Michelle Johnson is pleased with the work that police have done. "The detective has been very good to us and has done everything that he can to try and find Lisa's killer," she said.
Although Lisa's legs were found in Fauquier County, police believe that the key to solving her murder is in Alexandria. "We believe that someone knows something that could solve this case," said Amy Bertsch, a spokesperson for the Alexandria Police Department. "Hopefully they will come forward."
Anyone with information about Lisa Johnson's murder should call 703-838-4711.