- Information is obtained from the ‘Where are they?’ Podcast & other online sources as noted*
When 15-year old Janteyl Johnson found out she was pregnant, she was shocked, but wanted to keep the baby. Needless to say, when she gathered up the nerve to tell her family, they were also shocked.
However after the initial shock wore off, and Janteyl told them she wanted to keep the baby, they made it clear to her that they supported her decision and would help her in every way they could. Janteyl had goals. Goals to finish high school and go to cosmetology school. She also wanted to get her business degree and open her own salon one day.
On February 3, 2010, Janteyl went to school, being dropped off as usual by her older brother, Prennis Jr.
Shortly into her day, Janteyl wasn’t feeling good and told her mom she was going to go home for a bit and rest.
She walked home, and when her brother arrived later that afternoon to pick her up for a church function, Janteyl wasn’t home. The door was unlocked, and all her personal belongings were there- but no Janteyl.
To this day we have no knowledge as to the whereabouts of Janteyl Danielle Johnson.
Where is Janteyl?
Janteyl was born in Newark, Delaware on September 8, 1994. As a baby, she had chubby, puffy cheeks, which gained her the nickname within the family of ‘Puff’. Her friends in school were known to call her ‘J’.
She lived with her family in the Autumn Park apartments in Newark, and was close with both her older brother Prennis Jr., who was about 2 years older than her, an older sister and her mom Kyma.
Janteyl was a sweet girl, very likable and wasn’t known to cause any trouble as a kid.
Janteyl attended Glasgow High School, just about a mile from her apartment. Her brother Prennis would drive her to school in the morning, and her mom would head off to work in Philadelphia. It’s not uncommon for people in Newark to commute to Philadelphia, but it is about an hour and a half commute each way.
A few months before Janteyl would disappear, she went to her family with some unsettling news. She was pregnant. Her mom was shocked & upset, but talked to Janteyl and some length and Janteyl told her she wanted to keep the baby. Kyma said she would support Janteyl and help her anyway she could.
Janteyl said she was going to continue in school and hoped to graduate and go off to cosmetology school and then business school. Her ultimate dream was to open her own hair salon.
Janteyl loved doing everyone’s hair she could, and was very good at it. Her mom said it was like having her very own live-in stylist.
On February 3, 2010, Janteyl would be dropped off at school as normal. Mid-morning, she let her mom know she wasn’t feeling good, and was going to head home to rest for a bit. She had some after school activities at the school she wanted to go back for, and there was also an event at a church in Philadelphia she was going to go to with her brother and mom that night.
Janteyl walked home as the school was less than a mile from her apartment. She texted her mother to please call or text her and make sure she wakes up before her brother arrives to pick her up later that afternoon. Her mother said OK. When that time came, she continued to text and call Janteyl, but she didn’t answer. Her mom thought she just fell asleep and wasn’t overly concerned.
Later that afternoon, her brother, Prennis, arrived to pick up Janteyl. He went into the apartment- noting that the door was unlocked- but Janteyl was not there. He did find her purse, her jacket and her glasses, and he did see signs in the kitchen that she had fixed something to eat. He knew she had been there.
He called his mom to see if she knew where Janteyl was. She didn’t. At this point, she began to worry.
Everyone in the family tried to reach out to Janteyl and no one received any type of response. They reported her missing at 10:00 pm on the night of February 3.
Janteyl had run away once before, but came home pretty quickly. Police assumed that she had run away this time also, but in her gut her mom knew that wasn’t the case. There was no conflict at home at the time and the family was being super supportive of Janteyl with her pregnancy.
A couple days later, the police pulled Janteyl’s cell phone records.
The last incoming call she had that she answered, was a call from a 26-year -old man. The same man that was the father of her unborn child. So Janteyl, at age 15, was pregnant by a 26 year old man.
The police did speak to this guy, and dismissed him. They at least didn’t have any other evidence to tie to him regarding Janteyl’s disappearance.
Interestingly, Janteyl’s phone last pinged in a neighborhood where this man’s mother lived. Also important to note- this man has never been publicly identified.
Janteyl’s mom, Kyma, wonders if he came to see Janteyl and asked her to come out so they could talk. She left the apartment with all her belongings and the door unlocked, because she intended to come right back in.
Her mom believes this man could have taken her against her will and may be keeping her involuntarily.
Maybe, perhaps, he was afraid of getting into trouble for statutory rape?
During this same time, the police also questioned another man- a 24-year old- who had also been in contact with Janteyl. This man was not connected to the man who was the baby’s father. Police at one time did say he was a person of interest- but this man has also never been identified.
There have been no signs of foul play, and absolutely no clues ever found to lead them to Janteyl.
They have said that Janteyl may be living in Delaware, Pennsylvania, or New York.
Everyone is mystified. Did Janteyl meet with foul play? Is she still alive out there with a child?
Her mom often wonders if she has a grandchild out there.
Kyma said that Janteyl had an upcoming appointment right before she went missing to find out if she was having a boy or girl. Kyma thinks of her grandbaby all the time- wondering if she has a granddaughter or a grandson.
One would think that missing children cases are always covered the most, but you’d be surprised how many missing children cases I come across that recieved little to no attention. Or they receive some attention in the beginning and are never mentioned again.
Janteyl’s family has spoken out criticizing the lack of coverage for Janteyl. And they aren’t wrong. Only one reporter covered Janteyl’s case at the time- Claudia Riveria. Claudia also started the Where is Janteyl? Blog and has been the only media outlet advocating for Janteyl.
Statistically speaking, black men and women make up 13% of the U.S. population, but they represent 33% of all missing person cases in the United States. And of that 33%, they receive even less media coverage.
So this case is all the more important to share and talk about. Keep talking about Janteyl!
Janteyl’s name and photograph was also placed in a deck of cards that is circulated throughout area prisons encouraging people to come forward if they know anything.
With absolutely no sign of Janteyl, if she did meet with foul play at the hands of one of the older guys she was talking to, it is unlikely they committed a crime alone. Someone, someday, will talk.
Of course her family is holding on to the hope that Janteyl is alive out there, and her baby is also alive.
In 2018 Janteyl’s case was labeled a ‘Cold Case’ by police. The good thing about that is that the case is transferred to a whole new group of detectives to look at her file. Maybe, just maybe, they can uncover something new.
The police department in charge of Janteyl’s case has said that a cold case has nothing to do with the length of time a case has been open. A case becomes a cold case when the lead investigator feels that they have exhausted all probable leads that they can & there is nothing more they can do.
So what are theories in beliefs in Janteyl’s case?
- Runaway. Was Janteyl a runaway? She had run away once before, and initially police believed she had done it again. She is listed in the missing persons database as an ‘endangered runaway’. This is actually the most hopeful of all theories, but after 11 years hope for this one seems to be dwindling.
- Kidnapped. Did her unborn baby’s father take her against her will? Maybe he was afraid of getting into legal trouble for being with Janteyl in the first place, so he took her to have her baby somewhere else. Or, was she possibly kidnapped by the other unknown man? Maybe a complete stranger.
- Foul Play. Did Janteyl meet with foul play? After no sign of her for so many years, this is also unfortunately a possibility. However, there have been no signs of foul play found anywhere during the police investigation. And where did they put her? If this is what really happened in Janteyl’s case, we can only hope that someday someone will talk and the family can have the truth they so desperately need.
Show your support for Janteyls family by liking the facebook page they set up for her- Missing Janteyl Johnson.
Janteyl was a beautiful 15 year old girl in 2010. She was last seen with her hair in braids and may have been wearing black ski jacket with a fur trimmed hood.
She has a scar on her chin, just below her lip. There are age progression photographs available online that show what Janteyl might look like today, as a 26- year old woman. If she was able to have and keep her baby, she would have an 11 year old child.
If you have any information that may lead to Janteyl Johnson, please call the New Castle Police Department at 302–395–8171 or the National Center for MIssing and Exploited children. Although Janteyl was pregnant at the time of her disappearance, she was still just a child herself. The police have her listed as an ‘Endangered Runaway’, but admit they just don’t know what happened to Janteyl.
Please share Janteyl’s story and keep her name out there.
Video on Janteyl Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzpXVweQicU
