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(NewsNation) — A missing mother-to-be vanished on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu and now her husband is charged in relation to her presumed death while her family hopes the public can shed some light on the last moments Mischa Johnson was seen alive.
Anticipating motherhood
A lover of life and children, Johnson was thrilled that she would soon be a mother herself. Her own mother, Frances Tapiz-Andrian, said she was eagerly anticipating the birth of her baby.
“Raising a daughter, doing the hair, doing makeup, dressing it up,” Tapiz-Andrian said. “I mean, it would be her little mini-me.”
The 19-year-old told her mother that, at six months pregnant, she already had a name picked out. She planned to name her daughter Armani Kitana.
At her home on Schofield Barracks, an Army base in O’ahu, Hawaii, she was excited about starting this new chapter with her husband, Private First-Class Dewayne Arthur Johnson the Second. Tapiz-Andrian said the couple had a happy marriage.
“Very loving, they were tied at the hip, they were inseparable,” she said.
Mischa Johnson disappears
That’s part of what made the phone call from Dewayne Johnson to Mischa Johnson’s family so concerning. She hadn’t been seen or heard from since July 31, 2024.
Her husband had filed a missing persons report and Tapiz-Andrian said they had no reason to think he was involved in her disappearance.
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“He’s been trustworthy to her, to our family,” Tapiz-Andrian said. “(We) give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Immediately, friends and family started searching for Mischa Johnson. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division joined in, offering a $10,000 reward for information that led to her whereabouts.
Dewayne Johnson under suspicion
But not long after Johnson was reported missing, things started to change. Army CID Special Agent Ruben Santiago said Dewayne Johnson’s interactions raised red flags.
“I will say, the cooperation coming from him has been very limited,” Santiago said.
Johnson stopped cooperating with investigators and his wife’s family, leaving them blindsided.
“(It was) total, complete shock, disbelief,” Tapiz-Andrian said. “He celebrated every milestone and had happiness with us, joy. I mean, it hit all of us.”
A week after reporting his wife missing, Johnson was taken into military custody. The U.S. Army counsel has issued charges related to Mischa Johnson’s disappearance.
While the Army hasn’t released the exact details, they say the nature of the charges are providing false official statements, obstruction of justice and production and distribution of child sexual abuse images.
Schofield Barracks is home to nearly 100,000 active and retired members of the military and their families. Natalie Tocco has lived there for a decade with her husband. She spoke exclusively to NewsNation affiliate KHON in Hawaii and said crime has been getting worse in recent years.
“I’ve never heard about this level of domestic violence and homicide as we have since we’ve been stationed here,” Tocco said.
Santiago said there were no prior reports of domestic violence between the Johnsons.
“We looked at that, we don’t have anything that stands out as problematic to us,” he said.
Seeking the public’s help
But he said that is why the Army is asking for the public’s help in putting together a timeline for both Mischa and Dewayne Johnson.
Searches for Mischa Johnson still take place nearly every week, even after new information shared with her family led to a heartbreaking conclusion.
Investigators believe the public may hold the key to what happened. They’re looking specifically at the period between July 12 and Aug. 1.
For now, Dewayne Johnson is in military confinement with no set release date. The Army says more charges could be coming.
“It’s a very, very serious concern about her health and welfare. But until we actually have more facts and can say where Mischa is, it becomes very difficult for us to draw a conclusion,” Santiago said.
Tapiz-Andrian said the family feels the loss of her daughter and granddaughter every day.
“He took two people from me,” she said. “I can no longer make memories with them.”
But she said her instincts to protect her child are stronger than ever.
“Allow me, when I pass, that I can look my child in the eye and say, I fought for you, and this is what I did,” she said. “This is the outcome. I hope you’re proud.”