Houston Woman Who Vanished While Walking Dog Has Been Found, But There's More to the Story
Updated as of 3/26/2024 at 10:00 a.m. ET
After nearly a month of being missing, 27-year-old Christina Johnson was finally found roaming around the campus of the University of Houston last week.
Johnson’s father, Emmanuel, told Click2Houston she was found safe with her dog, Max.
Weird, right?
Houston law enforcement believed they had a lead on her disappearance days ago when what Johnson’s family believed was their dog turned up alone miles away from home. Turns out the pup was just a look-alike stray.
Who we thought was Max is now named Jack, the newest addition to Johnson’s family, the report says.
Johnson’s father didn’t say much else about his daughter’s sudden vanishing besides that she was “wandering” and didn’t seem ready to open up about her whereabouts. He told Edition Digital she appeared to be in good physical condition after her hospital evaluation.
Houston police say they are still investigating the disappearance.
Johnson’s Disappearance
Johnson’s family tell NBC affiliate Click2Houston that Johnson moved back home to Alief, Texas (within the city limits of Houston) after graduating from Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia.
Her daily routine consisted of walking her 10-year-old dog, Max, on one of two routes and settling at a local spot with her laptop for a few hours before returning home, according to her father, Emmanuel. He said the morning of Friday, March 6, she left out on her typical venture but this time, without her phone. After hours went by and the sun set, but Johnson still hadn’t returned home, raising suspicions of her whereabouts because her family said they usually expect her to return home before the evening, the report says.
After three days, she was reported missing to the police. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie, blue jean shorts, pink socks, a pair of Crocs and a gray backpack on her shoulders. Texas EquuSearch and Houston law enforcement worked together for the past two weeks to attempt to locate Johnson.
Suddenly, Monday evening, the police finally came across their first lead in the investigation but it wasn’t Johnson: it was what police identified as her dog.
Read more from Click2Houston:
Max was found last Friday, 7.7 miles away in a neighborhood on Cedar Creek Drive as violent storms rolled through the area.
Christina’s dad says Max was matted and seemed confused when they got him home.
“I think him being out there on his own, maybe eight days, so obviously he’s in a rough condition right now, but we are looking forward to getting him groomed. He’s not acting normal. He’s scared almost,” Emmanuel Johnson said, making another plea for his daughter’s safe return.
Emmanuel Johnson told reporters the fact Max was found without his daughter was a red flag and suggested she was in danger.
He also said she may have been suffering from depression but not to the extent that would cause her to run away or suddenly cut off communication with the world.
“We’re trying to find out what happened. She has privacy issues,” he told Edition Digital.
