GABRIEL JOHNSON - 8 months (2009) - Tempe AZ/Miami Beach FL

Elizabeth Johnson, the mother of missing 8-month-old Gabriel, is due
before an Arizona judge today when she is expected to plead not guilty
to charges including kidnapping, child abuse and custodial
interference.
Johnson, 23, and the boy's biological father, Logan McQueary,
were in the middle of a custody dispute when she fled Arizona with
Gabriel before Christmas. Johnson allegedly sent text messages to
McQueary saying she had killed their son and left his body in a trash
bin.
She later changed her story and said she gave the baby to a
random couple she met in a San Antonio, Texas, park. Police have been
unable to confirm that the couple exists.
Another Arizona couple who say they were in talks with Johnson
to adopt the baby say they also have no idea of his whereabouts,
although police have named them as persons of interest for potentially
withholding information.
McQueary held a vigil last night in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his
friends and family. He said he still holds out hope that his son, who
has been missing for more than a month, will be found alive and
returned home safely.
"I hope he comes back soon," McQueary said. "I want him back more than anything else."
Johnson has refused to speak to investigators, which has put them and the prosecution in a difficult position.
"It's the dilemma of, you have somebody incarcerated but you
really need their help in finding this baby, and so the real key is
communication between the police and Elizabeth because that
relationship will get you that piece of information that you need,"
Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant and former FBI agent, said.
Babysitter Says Gabriel Was 'Acting Scared'


Gabriel 's babysitter, Analisa Urias, one of the last-known people to see the missing baby, said he seemed sad and frightened the night she took care of him in a Texas hotel room.
Johnson hired Urias through a Craigs List ad to babysit Gabriel while she was escaping the custody dispute.
"Elizabeth told me if anyone came knocking on the door, not to answer it," Urias said.Tempe, Ariz., police released the photographs of Gabriel taken
by Johnson in the same Texas hotel room in hopes it would help them
find the missing baby.
Although Gabriel appears to be healthy and active, lying on a
bed with toys and a pacifier, investigators fear that Gabriel is
holding a medicine dropper in two of the photos.
"Elizabeth told me to give him a bottle in about an hour and
then her exact words were to, 'Give him more medicine if he started
crying to shut him up,'" Urias said.
"Gabriel wasn't acting like a normal baby," she said. "He was acting scared, he didn't want to play. He acted like he was sad."
The photographs were discovered on Johnson's camera following her arrest Dec. 29 in Miami.
In another claim, Urias said she found a large knife next to the bed in the motel room.
"It looked like a butcher type of knife and, you know, I thought
that was weird because why would she have it next to her bed? It's
something that would belong in the kitchen," Urias said.
The photographs were date-stamped Dec. 26, the last day Gabriel was seen.

Mom Describes Mystery Couple Who Supposedly Have Her Baby


Johnson described them as a white couple in their 30s. The man was
tall with short black hair and the woman was 5-feet-3-inches with long
blond hair.
Johnson said the couple looked trustworthy and brought their
own car seat and that they said they could keep baby Gabriel without
anyone noticing.
"Yes I'm sure he's alive," Johnson said in a jailhouse interview.
Investigators recently served a search warrant on the home of
Jack and Tammi Smith, a couple who say they were in talks to adopt
Gabriel before he disappeared and have since been named persons of
interest.
Police believe the couple may be withholding information and took their phone records and laptop.
Tammi Smith still speaks to Johnson and recently met her in the Tempe, Ariz.
"I looked in her eyes, I can tell you that baby is alive," Smith said.
"According to Elizabeth these people are going to try to hide this baby."
Gabriel's grandfather, Frank McQueary, says that is all the more reason to be vigilant.
"That next-door neighbor may be buying stuff for a baby and they didn't have a baby before," he said. "Let somebody know."
Anyone with information about Gabriel Johnson is asked to call the Tempe Police Department at (480) 350-8311.

TEMPE, AZ -- While detectives continue to search for leads in the case
of missing 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson, a large group gathered Sunday
evening to hold a candlelight vigil to show support for the family.

"I
just had to be here, I wake up every morning and check the computer to
find out if this little boy has been returned home," said Katrina
Bratteli, who drove an hour to Scottsdale to attend the vigil.

Others, like Bratteli, have never met Gabriel Johnson, but felt a connection.

"I
think people like me, this case has just gripped them. I have a son the
same age as Gabriel and I can't imagine what this family is going
through," said Bratteli.

A Facebook page dedicated to Gabriel
Johnson, has become an outlet for others like Bratelli to show their
support and hold out hope that the baby boy is alive.

About 100 people attended the vigil Sunday evening at Scottsdale Chaparral Park near Hayden and Chaparral Roads.

"I
just want to thank everyone, the support is great, I'm very thankful,"
said Gabriel's father, Logan McQueary, during the vigil.

Meanwhile, Tempe detectives have processed a GPS device that may have been used by Gabriel's mother, Elizabeth.

Investigators say the information from the GPS, including its origin, cannot be released.

It has been weeks since baby Gabriel disappeared while with his mother in San Antonio, Texas after leaving Tempe.

Gabriel Johnson was last seen around December 26.

Detectives
will not say how many people have been questioned involving the search
for the boy, but Jack Smith, who is considered a 'person of interest'
in the case told the media a family member outside Arizona has been
interviewed.

"They (investigators) went to my son's house in
Tennessee and asked him a few questions which is all normal stuff, they
have to do that and that's ok," said Jack Smith Wednesday night.

Smith
went on to say he has no problem being labeled a 'person of interest'
and hopes the investigation continues to move forward.

"We're
hoping it's (investigation) making progress, I mean it needs to be
making progress and we (the Smiths) certainly have faith and hope
that's what is going on," said Jack Smith.

Tempe officers say the number of tips they've received in search of missing baby Gabriel has dropped.

"The tips are not coming in at the volume they were a week ago," said Tempe Lt. Mike Horn.

According
to Tempe Officers, indications that Gabriel is alive are not as strong
as they were earlier in the investigation, however, detectives continue
to hold out hope the boy will be found alive.

According to Elizabeth's MySpace page, it appears Elizabeth was posting messages just days after her son went missing.

On
her MySpace bio, Elizabeth calls herself a "proud parent" and labeled
her mood as "adventurous" on December 29, 2009, and appears to have
last logged-in on December 30, 2009, the same day she was arrested in
Miami.

When asked about the MySpace page and visitor postings,
Tempe Police Sgt. Steve Carbajal said, "Detectives are using any means
necessary to find information and especially Gabriel."

According
to detectives, 23-year-old Elizabeth Johnson refuses to tell
authorities where the baby is or who may have him or what led her to
San Antonio.

Police also confirm there are two, separate, yet parallel investigations involving the disappearance of the toddler.

According
to Horn, a team of detectives is working a missing persons
investigation and a homicide investigation at the same time because it
is unknown if boy's mother gave the child away or possibly killed him.

"It
is a very real possibility that Elizabeth killed Gabriel," Horn said.
"We are holding out hope that he's alive, but we have to look at every
aspect and investigate everything."

Detectives are also looking into the possibility that the missing boy may be disguised as a girl by the people who have him.

"There's one thing we've learned in this investigation and that is that anything is possible," said Carbajal

During a media briefing Monday, McQueary pleaded for help in the search for his missing son.

"This
is about Gabriel and I want to find my son," McQueary said. "I think
about it every single day whether he's dead or alive."

Tempe detectives have also released new photos taken of the baby boy while Gabriel was in a San Antonio motel.

Horn
said investigators believe all the photographs were taken at a Home
Gate Hotel and that the last two photos have a date stamp of December
26.

Horn said the pictures were found on Elizabeth Johnson's
camera when she was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida nearly two weeks
after the pair went missing.

McQueary believes Gabriel may have been medicated or drugged based on Gabriel's appearance in the photos.

"It didn't look like him (Gabriel), didn't look like he was happy in those pictures," said McQueary.

A
group of investigators from the FBI, San Antonio Police Department,
Maricopa County Attorney's Office and other agencies are actively
involved in the case across the country.

McQueary described to reporters the eerie call he said he received from Elizabeth on December 27.

"I
asked her where she is and she said that I stuffed him (Gabriel) in a
diaper bag, she suffocated him, put him in a diaper bag and put him in
the dumpster," a teary McQueary said. "Then she (Elizabeth) just kept
going on, she said you ruined my life this is what you deserve and
after that I hung up on her."

Johnson has been indicted on
charges of kidnapping, child abuse, custodial interference, and
conspiracy to commit custodial interference.

McQueary said he has not visited Elizabeth in jail, but has thought about it.

"I'm not exactly sure what I would say to her, other than I just want her to be honest," said McQueary.

Well-known
TV show America's Most Wanted has now featured the Gabriel Johnson
case, but Horn would not discuss any tips generated by the publicity.

Officials say Johnson fled the state with her son during the week of December 22 in an apparent custody dispute.

Last week detectives searched the home of a Scottsdale couple considered 'persons of interest' in the case.

Jack
Smith said police took his laptop computer and made a copy of his
business computer's hard drive. He said they also took brochures they
had for a foster agency.

Jack Smith said he had "a hard time understanding" the timing of the police activity at his home.

"If
they had got here at six in the morning, they could have had coffee
with me and spent the day with me," he said. "But yet, they had to keep
my daughter from going to bed last night until midnight. My daughter is
always in bed before midnight."

He said police arrived around
7:30 p.m. to secure the home until the search warrant arrived. Smith
said detectives began searching around 11 p.m., finishing around 1 a.m.

The Smiths say they offered to allow police to search the home weeks ago.

"Let me tell you how worried I was," said Jack Smith. "I fell asleep on the couch."

The
search warrant came just hours after Tammi Smith voluntarily met with
Tempe detectives for more than two hours last Thursday.

As she walked out of Tempe Police Department Headquarters, Smith could be heard saying, "That was rough."

She
went on to talk to reporters and quickly admitted that she played a
role in manipulating paperwork with Elizabeth Johnson, the mother of
baby Gabriel.

"I made a poor decision back when I met
Elizabeth," said Smith. "I helped her (Elizabeth) file her paperwork
so she could get her child support and things like that. There was
another name put on there and I helped her (Elizabeth) fill out that
paperwork, and because of that it obviously doesn't make me look good."

The
name on the paperwork was apparently Craig Cherry, Tammi Smith's
cousin, which prompted Tempe police detectives to look into the
possibility Cherry was Gabriel's father.

When contacted by
phone Friday, Cherry said he does not blame Tammi Smith for helping
Johnson use his name on the paperwork, suggesting he was a "potential
father" of Gabriel. He said he believed Tammi Smith was trying to
protect the baby from his biological father, based on what Johnson told
her about him.

"Instead of putting a false name there, I helped her (Elizabeth) put another name," said Tammi Smith.

With
her husband, Jack, waiting nearby, Tammi went on to say she and her
husband do not have attorneys, but were considering calling one.

While
the Smiths are labeled "persons of interest" in the case by Tempe
Police, Elizabeth Johnson is considered the prime suspect in her son's
disappearance and is not cooperating with detectives.

McQueary's father, Frank McQueary spoke out about the case as well, asking the public for help finding his grandson.

He
asked people to keep an eye out for, "that next door neighbor buying
stuff for a baby and they didn't have a baby before. Let somebody know."

He said the family is confident Gabriel is alive.

In
the meantime, police say a reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for
the safe return of the Tempe toddler who disappeared with his
23-year-old mother last month.

The reward is being offered through Crime Stoppers in San Antonio, Texas.

Anyone with information about Gabriel can call Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP or online at http://www.sacrimestoppers.com.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:The picture that has many so worried!

Tom, am I going mad? I thought last time I saw this pic there was a different bottle with a blue top??? I can't bare to see this picture. The pupils are very dialated.

kiwimom wrote:

TomTerrific0420 wrote:The picture that has many so worried!

Tom, am I going mad? I thought last time I saw this pic there was a different bottle with a blue top??? I can't bare to see this picture. The pupils are very dialated.

---Perhaps the color was distorted by the transmission you were watching. This is from the Police files. Concern is that it looks like a script as opposed to over the counter meds.

Elizabeth Johnson, the mother of the missing eight-month old baby,
Gabriel Johnson, appeared before a Maricopa County Superior Court judge
this morning, via-video feed from the Maricopa County Jail and pleaded
not guilty to charges relating to the child's disappearance.
Johnson pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, child abuse and
custodial interference stemming from the December disappearance of the
baby.
After not appearing at a December custody hearing, Johnson
disappeared with the baby and went to San Antonio, Texas, where Gabriel
was last seen alive.
While on the run, Johnson sent text messages to the baby's father,
Logan McQueary saying she had killed the baby and put his body in a
dumpster.
She later recanted her claims and said she gave the baby to a random couple she met at a park in San Antonio.
Initially, Tempe police were optimistic that the baby was still
alive but have since changed their tune as tips in the case slowed.
Over the weekend, police in San Antonio -- as well as officers from
the Tempe Police Department -- searched dumpsters and landfills in
Bexar County, Texas, looking for the baby's body. The search turned up
nothing.
So, could Johnson get hit with a murder charge if the baby's body is never recovered? Yes, but it would be difficult.


Over
the weekend, police in San Antonio -- as well as officers from the
Tempe Police Department -- searched dumpsters and landfills in Bexar
County, Texas, looking for the baby's body. The search turned up
nothing.
So, could Johnson get hit with a murder charge if the baby's body is never recovered? Yes, but it would be difficult.
Over the weekend, the Arizona Republic outlined three cases in Arizona where a body was never discovered and only one resulted in a murder conviction. What the Repub
failed to point out is that a murder charge -- if there ever is one --
would likely be filed in Texas -- not Arizona -- where murder charges
being filed without a body may be a bit more likely.
Tempe police would not comment on any potential murder charges in
Texas but referred us to the San Antonio Police Department, where the
investigation is being conducted. They haven't gotten back to us yet
but we'll let you know as soon as they do.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Tempe Police Department or the FBI.

TomTerrific0420 wrote:

kiwimom wrote:

TomTerrific0420 wrote:The picture that has many so worried!

Tom, am I going mad? I thought last time I saw this pic there was a different bottle with a blue top??? I can't bare to see this picture. The pupils are very dialated.

---Perhaps the color was distorted by the transmission you were watching. This is from the Police files. Concern is that it looks like a script as opposed to over the counter meds.

Thanks Tom I'm hoping it's Infants Tylonol, grape flavored, and the bottle still looks full

MESA, Ariz. -- Logan McQueary has had about all he can take of scouring the Internet and staring at the phone."It's been long enough. I just need to get out there and do something," said McQueary.On
Tuesday, he actively joined the search for his son, Gabriel, by
gathering supplies for his own road trip to Texas. He plans to retrace
the GPS route of his former girlfriend, Elizabeth Johnson."If
she would have left Friday night, I don't think she would have driven
through the night, especially with Gabriel," said McQueary.It's been more than a month since Johnson took Gabriel and fled to Texas. That's where Gabriel disappeared.McQueary hopes to get lucky along the way and find someone who saw his missing boy.But
before he can leave, Tempe investigators need his help to build their
case of conspiracy between person-of-interest Tammi Smith and Elizabeth
Johnson.Tempe police made copies of all of McQueary's phone recordings and text messages, including this passage from Elizabeth on Dec. 27.Logan
McQueary showed her text that read: "You will never see Gabriel
again. I made sure of that. And you can spend the rest of of your
pathetic life wondering about him. You will never find me. I'm already
boarding a plane out of the country. When I'm safe, I'll email you the
exact location of dead Gabriel's little blue body, if the garbage don't
come first. This is what liars like you deserve."Despite those words, Logan clings to the hope that Gabriel is alive and well."I
just want to try and keep it alive and keep handing out fliers and keep
everybody, just like everybody else, just praying that he is still
alive," said McQueary.As for Tammi Smith, McQueary turned down her offer for a public apology, and thinks after her phone call with Elizabeth Johnson over the weekend, Tammi is really the one pulling the strings."It
kind of sounded like Tammi kinda said you need to watch your mouth and
be careful what you said. Maybe she said that for a reason," said
McQueary.

Elizabeth Johnson May Suffer from a Mental Disorder but that Isn't Helping to Find Baby Gabriel

As
the search for Baby Gabriel Johnson continues in San Antonio, Texas,
and Logan McQueary, Baby Gabriel's father, readies to retrace the
GPS-recorded route that Elizabeth Johnson took to Texas, Maricopa
County (Arizona) Sheriff Joe Arpaio surmised that
Elizabeth Johnson may have a dual personality. Johnson,
the 23-year-old mother who disappeared with her 8-month-old baby,
Gabriel, last month and reappeared in Miami
Beach without the child, has been kept isolated in the Estrella Jail
after being extradited from Florida. She has not cooperated with
authorities since she recanted a text message she sent to her
ex-boyfriend, McQueary, that she had killed the baby and offered a
story wherein she claims to have given Baby Gabriel to a couple of
strangers in a park in San Antonio.

Sheriff Arpaio said Elizabeth Johnson showed a completely different persona inside his jail
than she did to the public. "She's been quiet, cooperative, not a
problem in our jail. Maybe she's got a dual personality," he said.

"She hasn't been causing any problems, but you never know."

Dual personalities -- or multiple personalities (disassociative identity
disorder) -- might explain some of Elizabeth Johnson's erratic behavior
or perhaps all of it. It could explain why she is seen as cooperative
in the Estrella Jail and why she would send a vicious text message to
her ex-boyfriend from San Antonio: "You will never see Gabriel again. I
made sure of that. And you can spend the rest of of your pathetic life
wondering about him. You will never find me. I'm already boarding a
plane out of the country. When I'm safe, I'll email you the exact
location of dead Gabriel's little blue body, if the garbage don't come
first. This is what liars like you deserve." Having distinct
personalities or identities could explain the diverse behaviors, but
multiple personalities are extremely rare.

Of course, Elizabeth Johnson could be more suited to the borderline personality
disorder type, which is characterized by volatility of self-image,
goals, and internal preferences, where the subject endures chronic
feelings of emotional emptiness and engages in intense, unstable
interpersonal relationships and self-destructive behavior.
She has certainly exhibited the unstable relationships
and self-destructive aspects of the disorder.

Still, she might suffer from a bipolar disorder, where she would exhibit a
manic state followed by a depressed state. This could explain her
sudden irrational actions followed by periods of seemingly normal
behavior or low periods, like when she was found crying in an airport
and enlisted the help of Jack and Tammi Smith, hoping to get these
total strangers to adopt Baby Gabriel (plans which ultimately fell
through).

Elizabeth Johnson also seems to suffer from
narcissistic tendencies, an extreme self-loathing where a person's
actions are ultimately detrimental to themselves. Her use of the child
as leverage indicates an objectification, a tendency to see Baby
Gabriel as a means to a desired end.

It is difficult to truly
say whether or not the 23-year-old mother actually suffers from any or
none of these disorders, but if Baby Gabriel is never found, it is
certain that post-partem depression
will be used or at least considered as a defense, as will various other
mental disorders, including one or several of the aforementioned.

One thing seems certain: Elizabeth Johnson will have to undergo psychiatric examination.

But somewhere in all this, Gabriel Johnson went missing due to the actions
of his mother, regardless of her mental state. Unfortunately for
Elizabeth Johnson, her future may not hinge on whether or not they find
the child or the child's body. Her reticence may soon begin to hurt her
case.

When asked about her case going to trial, Sheriff Arpaio
said, "You know, I think there's only about four cases in history, and
we have two of them. The David Anthony case where he's on death row. We
have another one right now, waiting to be extradited, that we
investigated here, without the body."

But what Sheriff Joe Arpaio and many others seem to overlook is that,
if Baby Gabriel was indeed killed, he was most likely killed in Texas --
in or around San Antonio,
which is where Elizabeth Johnson was when she sent her hurtful text
message to Logan McQueary saying she had killed the baby. And if a body
is ultimately found in the landfills being searched in Texas, then the
point is moot. Jurisdiction for a murder trial would then fall to
prosecutors in Bexar County, Texas.

All other charges, kidnapping and custodial interference would still be adjudicated in Arizona.

Does Elizabeth Johnson suffer from some form of disassociative identity
disorder or some other mental disorder that could explain her behavior?
Did she murder her own child, or did she really effect a
transfer of the baby to an anonymous couple in a park
in San Antonio.
Can her state of mind be determined in either set of circumstances?

Does it really matter?

It could to a jury.

I found some interesting photo's on Photobucket

The poster says this is a medicine dispenser. They also say that these were taken at a SA Hotel. They note there may be family pics on the dresser.

The poster says this was taken January 3rd and the car seat is a strange one.

PHOENIX, ARIZ.-- Police and the FBI have been searching for a 9-month
old Tempe baby for more than a month with no luck, and now a world
famous investigator is offering his help for free.

Jay J. Armes,
otherwise known as "The Investigator," has been finding missing people
for 40 years. He was made famous for finding Marlon Brando's son in
the 70's.

Armes sometimes charges up to $1 million a case, but for baby Gabriel Johnson, he and his team are offering to do it for free.

"Because
of the way it happened and the way the girl started lying from the
beginning," Armes told ABC15 on a phone interview from Texas. "At
first she had given it to a couple, and then she didn't know who the
couple were. The harder the cases are, the more challenging they are to
me."

Meanwhile, Gabriel's father, Logan McQueary, is getting his
own team together to retrace Elizabeth Johnson's steps. They plan to
make a road trip to Texas, passing out flyers along the way, and
searching for any possible places Johnson may have spent the night
before reaching San Antonio.

"We have not started a homicide
case, we are still considering it as a missing person case," said San
Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

Like San Antonio Police and McQueary, Armes still believes Gabriel is alive, though Johnson will not cooperate with authorities.

"There's got to be a reason why she's throwing everybody off," said Armes.

Armes
said he thinks Gabriel was "adopted underground," and that he and his
team have recovered hundreds of children who went missing in such
arrangements around the world.

The investigator said he solves
cases by following every lead, like the rumor that a woman on the other
side of the country adopted a baby named Gabriel the same day Gabriel
Johnson went missing.

Armes said another key to his success is
tough interrogations and deeper probes of "persons of interest," like
Jack and Tami Smith, who were friends with Elizabeth and had hoped to
adopt Gabriel.

"I think there's something there," said Armes
about the Smiths. "Where there's smoke, there's fire, and I think they
should be doing a background on them since the day they were born."

McQueary said he has not agreed to work with Armes yet, but does plan to meet with him in the near future.

The Arizona man seeking answers in the disappearance of his son is asking for public support.

Logan McQueary has established a bank account to help provide funds
for his search for Gabriel Johnson. Donations to "The Gabriel Johnson
Trust" can be made at any Bank of America branch.

Gabriel's mother, Elizabeth Johnson, remains in a Phoenix jail on
kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference charges. She
allegedly took her eight month-old son from Tempe to San Antonio, then
re-appeared in Miami Beach without the baby. She ahs refused to discuss
what happened to Gabriel with police.
McQueary is planning to re-trace Elizabeth's steps to determine what
happened to his son. He has hired a private investigator to aid in his
search.

The father of a missing Arizona infant last
seen in San Antonio in December is en route to El Paso, where he plans
to meet with internationally-known private investigator Jay J. Armes.
Armes said he and Logan McQueary of Tempe, Ariz., the father of
8-month-old Gabriel Johnson, will discuss the investigation Tuesday
evening and plot their route to San Antonio, where they will retrace
the baby's mother's steps.
“We will decipher every iota of information,” Armes said Tuesday
morning, adding both he and McQueary are hopeful they'll find Gabriel.
“Right now, I feel that Gabriel is still alive, because there haven't
been any sightings of a cadaver.”


Elizabeth Johnson, 23, was held at the Maricopa County Jail on
charges of kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference. Bond was
set at $1.1 million, cash only.
Authorities said Johnson and her baby stayed at a North Side hotel
Dec. 20-27. On Dec. 27, Johnson was seen boarding a bus to Fort
Lauderdale, Fla., but Gabriel wasn't with her, authorities said.
She was arrested in Florida on Dec. 30 after she failed to show up for a custodial hearing in Phoenix.
While Armes said a San Antonio police search of an East Side
landfill conducted Monday failed to turn up any clues, police
department spokeswoman Sandy Gutierrez said officials have not searched
the site.
A segment of the Tessman Road Landfill in the 7000 block of
Interstate 10 East was blocked off as part of a possible search for
Gabriel, said Peg Mulloy, spokeswoman for Arizona-based Republic
Services Inc., which owns the 1,000-acre landfill.
Police officials contacted the waste-management company earlier this
month about the landfill being a place of interest in the case, Mulloy
said, but so far police say they have not initiated a search.
“The Chief (William McManus) has indicated that if something does
happen, we'll let everyone know,” Gutierrez said, “but we did not
search the landfill yesterday (Monday).”
Armes said he will work with three other private investigators in
California, Austin and Houston. Combined, the team has more than 135
years of experience, said Armes, who runs a company called The
Investigators.
He said a mutual friend told McQueary of Armes' company, and
McQueary contacted him recently to ask if he was interested in the
case. Armes, whose most famous investigation involved the 1972 return
of Christian Brando after a custody-related kidnapping, signed on
immediately.
“The harder the case is, the more challenging it is for me,” he said. “We've already been following several leads.”
Already, investigators with the Tempe Police Department, FBI and San
Antonio police tried to find Gabriel, but Armes said he plans to look
into claims other agencies already determined to be false.
“We have to interview everyone that they've talked to,” he said. “The more investigators on the case, the better.”

A woman who tried to adopt baby Gabriel Johnson before his disappearance was arrested Tuesday morning, almost a month after being named a person of interest in the case.

Tammi Smith, 37, of Scottsdale , is facing charges of custodial interference, conspiracy to commit custodial interference and forgery, all felonies.

Police arrested her at her home in the 16500 block of East Desert Vista Trail in north Scottsdale shortly after 11 a.m. She was taken to the Tempe Police Department before being sent on to a Maricopa County jail to be booked. Police are planning an afternoon press conference to release more details.

Police have said for nearly a month that they believe Tammi Smith and her husband, Jack, know more about Gabriel Johnson's disappearance and named them persons of interest on Jan. 7.

"They laid the gauntlet down, so now it's my turn," Jack Smith told The Associated Press after his wife's arrest. "(Police) have been saying for the last six weeks now, We think the Smiths have something.' What is you think we're not telling you because now you've crossed the line, so tell us what it is. And by the way, make it good."

The 9-month-old boy has been missing since his mother took off with him on Dec. 18. Elizabeth Johnson, 23, was arrested in Miami on Dec. 30 without the child after spending about a week in San Antonio. She has been indicted on kidnapping, child abuse, custodial interference and conspiracy to commit custodial interference.

Logan McQueary, 25, the child's father, told reporters he felt extorted by the Smiths and said they told him Johnson would return if he would sign over his parental rights, something they had asked him to do for several weeks after he broke up with Johnson.

Tammi Smith told reporterslast month that she texted and called Johnson up until her arrest. Smith insisted she was trying to find out where the baby was and coax Johnson into returning to Arizona.

The child was last seen with his mother in San Antonio, where she spent Dec. 22 to Dec. 27 at two ]motels in the city. She then left her car at a Motel 6 next to a bus stop.

Johnson has refused to talk to investigators, but she told a local station that she gave the baby to a couple she met in a San Antonio park.

While on the run, she texted the baby's father. He said she told him in a subsequent phone conversation that she killed Gabriel and was leaving the country. Police tracked her cell phone to Victoria, Texas, according to court documents. Police have recently said hope of finding baby Gabriel dead or alive is waning.

Early in the investigation, police questioned Jack and Tammi Smith, who said they had temporary guardianship of the child for about 10 to 12 days at the beginning of December.

A Tempe police detective saw paperwork on the guardianship while at the Smith home checking on the baby last month, though they were not court-issued documents, so the papers' authority is unclear, Carbajal said.

Smith said she met Johnson at an airport during a layover. She spotted the young mother and said she looked tired and depressed. Smith said she went up to Johnson and asked if she was looking for someone to adopt the child, and Johnson said "yes," though the father refused to sign over his rights.

Smith said she and her husband spent seven months trying to adopt Gabriel and that his parents wanted to give him up at different times. Johnson and McQueary never seemed to be on the same page, she said.

McQueary told reporters that that wasn't the case and that he never wanted to give up his child.

Smith saidin a phone interview last month that she got a text from Johnson denying that she'd killed Gabriel and telling the Smiths that she sent the message to get back at McQueary.

"Neither of them want the baby," said Smith, who lives in north Scottsdale and owns a colon-hydrotherapy practice. "Most likely, she's left him with another family she's chosen like she had chosen us."

Tempe police concluded their role in the case of missing Baby Gabriel Johnson hours after
arresting a Scottsdale woman Tuesday on charges of trying to pressure the child's father
into signing over his rights to the boy.
Authorities still say they do not know the whereabouts of the
9-month-old baby. The investigation is now in the hands of police in
San Antonio, where Gabriel was last seen.



Tammi Smith, 37, was booked into Maricopa County
Jail on charges of forgery, custodial interference and conspiracy to
commit custodial interference.
The child's mother, Elizabeth Johnson,
23, is in jail on charges of kidnapping, child abuse and custodial
interference. Smith's husband, Jack, was cleared by Tempe police.
"We've done nothing; we did nothing wrong," Jack Smith said Tuesday after his wife's
arrest. "They have bullied us from the beginning. And they're bullying
us now . . . We have nothing to do with Gabriel being gone. There is no
proof."
Tammi Smith is accused of providing the baby's mother with contacts
for a place to stay and adoption advice after Elizabeth Johnson fled
with the child in mid-December. At the same time, police said, Smith
called and texted the boy's father, trying to bully him into signing
over his custodial rights. Her goal, said Tempe Lt. Mike Horn, was to
adopt the baby.
Logan McQueary, 25, the child's father, told reporters last month he
felt extorted by the Smiths and said they told him Elizabeth would
return if he would sign over his parental rights, something they had
asked him to do for several weeks after he broke up with her.
According to Smith's arrest documents, she texted McQueary and told him
"The only way she'll come back is if my attorney faxes the signed papers
to her so she won't get in trouble and Gabriel (would be with us)."
Two days later, police interviewed Tammi Smith and asked how she
would "handle the fact that Logan McQueary refused to sign over his
custodial rights."
She replied by telling police she intended to use her attorney to
pressure McQueary to pay past support
and future support in the hopes that it would be enough to make him
concede his rights. She told police then that she hoped that pressure
would be enough for her to eventually adopt Gabriel.
The forgery charge stems from Smith's claim that someone other than
McQueary was the child's father, which she later admitted wasn't true.
A handwriting analysis by the Department of Public Safety concluded
that she lied on a custody document before the disappearance and put
her own cousin down as a potential father of Gabriel. Police
interviewed the man and determined he had never met the baby's mother.
Police do not believe the Smiths have any information about where the baby is now.
Tempe police said in a news conference Tuesday that they started
forwarding any new leads on the whereabouts of the baby to San Antonio
police. Tempe police have said in the past that any additional charges,
including homicide, would have to come out of Texas since that's where
the boy was last seen alive.
The boy's mother has been in jail for the past month and has refused
to speak to investigators. She left Arizona with Gabriel on Dec. 18 and
was arrested in Miami on Dec. 30 without the baby. While in San
Antonio, she texted the boy's father and told him that she had
smothered the baby and left him in a baby bag in a dumpster. She later
texted the Smiths and said she didn't really kill Gabriel.
Tempe police initially thought the baby was still alive because Tammi Smith continued communicating
with the mother about adopting the child even after he disappeared, Lt.
Horn said. But when Johnson began to spurn Smith's help during her trip
through Texas, Smith began begging her to return to Arizona.
Since then, there have no more signs that Gabriel is alive, and Horn
said police are "less and less optimistic'' about the child's fate.

Poster's Note: Tammi Peters-Smith Booking report, in full, available through this link:

http://www.kpho.com/download/2010/0203/22416309.pdf

Summary of Tammi Smith's Involvement:
On 12/27/09, Tempe Police made contact with Tammi Smith due to an
incident which occurred on 12/09/09 when Gabriel Johnson was found to
be in the care of the Smith's. On 12/09/09, Elizabeth Johnson made a
false report of kidnapping which allegedly occurred against Gabriel. On
12/09/09, T.P.D. Officers found Gabriel in the care of Tammi and Jack
Smith. On 12/09/09, The Smith's disclosed their desire to adopt Gabriel
Johnson to T.P.D. At the conclusion of the investigation on
12/09/09, Elizabeth was arrested for False Reporting to L.E. Due to
this incident, on 12/27/09 Tempe Police Patrol Officers and a Detective
arrived at the Smith's residence located in Scottsdale, Arizona in
order to confirm that Gabriel Johnson was not in their care. Tammi
Smith was interviewed at the time. A consent to search the Smith's
property was granted. It was learned that Gabriel was not on their
property. It
is important to note, Tammi Smith withheld information from the police
concerning her full communication with Elizabeth which was via text
messages and phone calls. Tammi initially did not tell the police about
the following text message which she sent to Logan McQueary on 12/27/09.

On 12/27/09, Tammi Smith sent the following text message to Logan: "Can
we get together tomorrow morning to talk with you and your dad? I'm
afraid she'll be gone forever, cause she doesn't want to go to jail for
kidnapping. She doesn't trust u or ur dad. The only way she'll come
back is if my attorney faxes the signed papers to her so she won't get
in trouble, and Gabriel b
w/us." Logan responded by typing "no" and that he wanted Gabriel
returned to him. It is important to note that Tammi Smith did not
disclose this information on 12/27/09 while speaking with the police.

On 12/29/09, I conducted a police interview with the
Smiths. When I asked how the Smiths were going to handle the fact that
Logan McQueary refused to sign over his custodial rights. Tammi Smith
stated she was going to use her attorney's help to pressure Logan to
pay previous child support, current child support and be responsible
for visitation. Tammi stated due to the above listed pressure the hope
was that Logan would release his custodial rights and the adoption
could proceed. Per Logan's statements, Tammi and Jack Smith called him
approximately 3 times and continued to ask him to release his custodial
rights. The phone calls occurred during the month of December of 2009.
Logan continued to refuse. Tammi Smith admitted to sending Logan a text
regarding releasing his custodial rights.

It is important to note that Logan McQueary and
Elizabeth Johnson were in the process of court proceedings regarding
custody of their son and child support. Their family case was assigned
to the Honorable Judge Michael McVey from the Superior Court of
Maricopa County. Please refer to FC2009-007470. On 12/28/09, Logan
McQueary and Elizabeth Johnson had a scheduled court appearance
regarding Petition to Enforce Child Custody Determination. Tammi Smith
was aware of the scheduled court appearance. It was later determined
that Tammi Smith provided her with telephone numbers of people who
could possibly assist her with legal advise regarding Elizabeth not
attending the scheduled court date.

This investigatigation discovered that the following information
occurred while Elizabeth was in the State of Texas during the week of
12/21/09 to 12/27/09.

During the course of the investigation, I learned
that Tammi researched and attempted to help Elizabeth change court
jurisdiction regarding the custody hearing of Gabriel, although Tammi
was aware of FC-2009-007470. Tammi stated she used her computer in
order to find information on changing court jurisdiction. She then
provided the information to Elizabeth. Tammi telephoned lawyers asking
for legal advice regarding changing court jurisdiction. Tammi admitted
to attempting to change court jurisdiction during a police interview.
Tammi recalled making a telephone call to a relative in order to
determine if housing was available for Elizabeth in the State of
Tennessee (this occurred after Elizabeth fled the State of Arizona).
Tammi suggested
Elizabeth enter a shelter after Elizabeth fled the State of Arizona. Tammi researched the topic of adopting an adult in hopes of adopting Elizabeth and Gabriel.

On 01/04/1010, Judge McVey telephoned the T.P.D. He provided me with a
voice message which was left by Tammi Smith. I recognized her voice due
to my previous interviewing. In the recording, Tammi Smith requests
Judge McVey return her phone call. Tammi states that she believed that
Elizabeth would return with the baby if she could know that Gabriel
would be "safe." Tammi then suggests that Judge McVey grant the Smith's
guardianship. The entire recording is approximately 2 minutes long.
Tammi later stated a media reporter told her to call Judge McVey (this
was her response to the message which she left). When I
asked Tammi further specific questions about the reporter, Tammi could
not recall if the reporter actually told her to call Judge McVey.

On 01/12/09, a media source stated that the name of "Craig Cherry" (who
was later found by T.P.D. and discovered to be Tammi Smith's first
generation cousin) was on a court petition for paternity regarding
Gabriel Johnson. I telephoned Judge McVey who stated paternity was not
protested by the mother. Logan McQueary was determined to be the
father. Judge
McVey assisted with providing the means in which T.P.D. could have a
copy of all court documents regarding Gabriel Johnson (FC-2009-007470. On 01/14/09, I interviewed Tammi Smith while at the T.P.D. station. Tammi voluntarily provided a hand writing analysis.

Tammi admitted that Elizabeth wrote down her cousin
(Craig Cherry) on the paternity document. During a police interview, I
presented Tammi with the court documents regarding paternity of Gabriel
Johnson. Tammi then admitted to writing her cousin's (Craig Cherry)
name on the court document regarding Craig as a possible father of
Gabriel Johnson. Tammi read out loud the sentence which she wrote on
the court document. The sentence included Craig's name. Craig Cherry
was interviewed by the Tempe Police Department. It was learned through
my investigation that he has never met Elizabeth Johnson.

Tammi Smith also admitted to asking a friend if
she could use the friend's husband's name on the paternity paperwork
for Gabriel Johnson. I later identified the friend. The identified
witness stated on the day in which Tammi was traveling to the court
house with Elizabeth, Tammi telephoned her. Tammi asked her friend if
she could use her friend's husband's name on the paternity court
document for Gabriel Johnson. The witness became angry with Tammi due
to her request. Tammi told the witness that if she could use her
friend's husband's name then it would create a problem for the father
(Logan). The friend refused to allow Tammi to use her husband's name on
the court form.

The above listed court document was analyzed by D.P.S. Detective Alan
Kreitl. According to Criminalist Kreitl's findings the court document
(item #47) contained the handwriting of Tami Smith based on her sample
(item #57). For complete details, please refer to D.P.S. report
#2010-701760.

Tammi stated that Logan threatened her on 12/28/09 after a court
hearing in Judge McVey's court room. The threat was allegedly made via
telephone. Uknown to Tammi, Logan recorded the call. T.P.D. heard the
call and no threat was made. Logan told Tammi to stop calling him.
Logan hung up the phone line. Shortly after Jack Smith called Logan.
Logan, once again
disconnected the phone line. Tammi and Jack Smith have used the media
to make many statements which later have been found to be inaccurate
regarding their involvement in the investigation.

On 01/14/2010, after Tammi Smith participated in a police interview she
was then interviewed by a reported from K.P.H.O. It is important to
note that on 01/14/2010 Tammi did admit to writing her cousin's name on
the paternity document concerning Gabriel Johhnson. Following the police interview, Tammi spoke to the media outside of the Tempe Police Station located at
120 E. 5th Street, Tempe. K.P.H.O. (Channel 5) released a media story
on 01/15/2010 in which Tammi acknowledged the forgery by saying "I made
a poor decision back when I met Elizabeth." "Yes I helped her put
another name." She then told the public to pray about it. It is important to note that as of 02/02/2010 Gabriel Johnson's location remains UNKNOWN and his SAFETY CANNOT BE CONFIRMED

PHOENIX — A Scottsdale woman who wanted to adopt an Arizona baby missing for more
than a month has been released from a Phoenix jail.
Tammi Smith was interviewed at Tempe police headquarters Tuesday and later
booked into Maricopa County jail on charges of custodial interference,
conspiracy to commit custodial interference and forgery.
Lt. Mike Horn says the charges stem from the 37-year-old Smith's repeated
and apparently desperate attempts to adopt 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson,
not from the boy's Dec. 26 disappearance in San Antonio.
As she was leaving jail, Smith told reporters the Tempe Police Department
is trying to create a case. Smith says it doesn't mean those charges
leveled against her "are going to stick. Doesn't mean those charges are
true."

A Scottsdale woman who wanted to adopt an Arizona baby missing
for more than a month has been released from a Phoenix jail.

Police say 37-year-old Tammi Smith was not connected to the boy's
disappearance and that she and her husband likely don't know where the
boy is.

Smith was interviewed at Tempe police headquarters
Tuesday and later booked into Maricopa County jail on charges of
custodial interference, conspiracy to commit custodial interference and
forgery.

Lt. Mike Horn said the charges stem from Smith's
repeated and apparently desperate attempts to adopt 8-month-old Gabriel
Johnson, not from the boy's Dec. 26 disappearance in San Antonio.

As she was leaving jail, Smith told reporters the Tempe Police Department
is trying to create a case. Smith it doesn't mean those charges leveled
against her "are going to stick. Doesn't mean those charges are true."

EL PASO, Texas -- Just moments after Tammi Smith was released from jail
for allegedly conspiring to take custody of Gabriel Johnson away from
his father, Logan McQueary, she lashed out at McQueary for waiting so
long to join the search for his son.

McQueary set out this week for San Antonio, the last place Gabriel was
seen, before his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, either killed the boy, or
simply gave him away to strangers.

On Wednesday, McQueary said he has grown tired of Tammi Smith and her attempts to play the victim.

“It’s nothing new, she’s done it the whole time,“ said McQueary.

At times, Smith blamed her troubles on Elizabeth Johnson, the woman
police say she plotted with to steal Gabriel away from his father.
Other times, She's blamed Tempe Police, Elizabeth's Grandfather Bob
Johnson, and now fresh out of jail, she's focused her ire at the father
of the missing boy.

“She keeps saying that she wants this all to be about Gabriel but every
chance she gets she bad mouths me, she doesn’t even know me,” said
McQueary.

Smith is accused of trying to rip custody of Gabriel away from Logan.
And now, while he's on the road searching for his boy, Smith questions
why it took him so long.

“The Tempe Police Department requested that we stay there so they could
help us with the investigation. They wanted me to stay there and they
said you need to stay here. If they hadn’t of said that, I would have
already been gone and on the road," said McQueary.

As soon as he got the go ahead, McQueary left for San Antonio, the last
place Gabriel was spotted. He still thinks Tammi Smith knows more than
she is saying, but wishes she would talk to fewer cameras and more to
the police.

“She can say anything she wants, I don’t care, I don’t care about her. I think she’s making a fool of herself,” said McQueary.

McQueary actually spent most of Wednesday meeting with private
investigator Jay J. Armes. Armes has agreed to take on the case free of
charge. McQueary will meet with him again on Thursday morning before
hitting the road again. He plans to meet with San Antonio investigators
on Friday.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has
filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against a Scottsdale woman in the
case of a missing baby, officials said.
Tammi Smith, 37, was arrested Tuesday and has been accused of
conspiracy to commit custodial interference and forgery, County
Attorney Andrew Thomas said at a news conference Thursday. Both charges
are class 4 felonies. The criminal complaint essentially is the step
between an arrest and a preliminary hearing or indictment.
Tempe police arrested Smith on suspicion of trying to pressure the
father of 9-month-old Gabriel Johnson into signing over his parental
rights.
Police also accused Smith of providing the baby's mother, Elizabeth
Johnson, 23, with contacts for a place to stay and adoption advice
after Johnson fled with the child in December. Smith was also accused
of falsifying documents stating that Smith's cousin was Gabriel's
father, Thomas said.
She was released Wednesday morning from the Fourth Avenue Jail on a
$15,000 bond. Smith has a status conference on Monday and a preliminary
hearing on Feb. 12.
Smith and her husband have continued to deny any involvement in the
disappearance of baby Gabriel. Police do not believe the Smiths have
any information on the currents whereabouts of the child.
Elizabeth Johnson was in jail accused of kidnapping, child abuse,
custodial interference and conspiracy to commit custodial interference.
She left Arizona on Dec. 18 and was arrested on Dec. 30 in Miami
without the child.
Johnson has been in jail for the past month and has refused to cooperate with police.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Logan McQueary interrupted his road trip searching for
his son, Gabriel Johnson, to return to the Valley for less than 24
hours before resuming his journey to Texas.

McQueary said he was contacted by his old landlord who told him he had
to get his stuff out of the Tempe trailer he shared with the baby’s
mom, Elizabeth Johnson, 23, or all of it would be sold.

Thursday night, McQueary was in El Paso, Texas, where he spent 6 hours
with a renowned private investigator who is helping McQueary search for
his missing 8-month-old son.

He was set to head to San Antonio first thing Friday morning, but he
was forced to catch a plane to return to the Valley to secure his
things.

McQueary took the time at the trailer to also look for clues that might help the private investigator Jay J. Armes.

“They're trying to see, you know, what motivated her to do this or what
her next move would have been," McQueary said. "Try to get in her head
to see if anything … try to figure out what she was thinking at the
time, anything like that."

"So that's what especially Jay J. Armes wanted me to look for, any type
of handwriting," he said. "Anything like that so they can do an
analysis on the handwriting.”

But McQueary said he found little that would help. When Gabriel went
missing, Tempe police served a search warrant at the trailer and seized
anything that might have offered clues.

McQueary did find some personal items that belong to his son. “I found
a few things of Gabriel’s left, a few baby blankets and a little bit of
clothes. But everything else is gone,” McQueary said as tears welled up
in his eyes.

During his short stay in the valley McQueary expressed concern that the
San Antonio police department seemed to be behind the ball on this
case. San Antonio has the lead in the missing person’s case regarding
Gabriel, but McQueary questions whether they’ve done anything with it.

“You have 10 people working on this right now that are meeting every
single day and they're all going over how they're going to search the
landfill," he said. "For two weeks? Why didn’t they already do it so
they could rule it out so they could have those ten people working on
other things on the case."

"Everybody keeps questioning, why they haven't done it, why they
haven't done it? And we're doing the same thing. I don't understand why
they just don't go ahead and do it rule it out and be over and done
with it.”

Friday afternoon, McQueary was set to hop a plane and fly directly to
San Antonio where he was hoping to meet with the chief of police to
demand some answers.

Managers of the landfill have blocked off an area that might be
searched for the baby, but police said they hadn't yet searched the
site and decline to say whether they plan to do so. A portion of the
Tessman Road Landfill was cordoned off based on where Gabriel was last
seen on Dec. 26 in San Antonio.

SAN ANTONIO - The father of a missing Arizona baby, last seen here in
San Antonio, is in town to look for the little boy. Logan McQueary
arrived at the San Antonio Airport Friday night. He plans to start
searching for baby Gabriel Johnson first thing Saturday morning.

Reporters asked McQueary if he believes that he will find evidence in San Antonio that will lead to Gabriel.

"I
think there is a big possibility," said McQueary. "I think everything
is here. That's why we came to San Antonio. Everything leads to San
Antonio and I think we can find all the answers here in San Antonio
that will lead us to Gabriel."

McQueary said that he
is scheduled to meet with the San Antonio police chief and detectives.
He feels they are not doing enough to look for his son.

While
McQueary said he's hopeful Gabriel is still alive, he believes the
police should have already searched a San Antonio landfill for the
boy's body. McQueary wants police to search that area so they can
rule out a connection to the landfill and move on to other leads.

Baby
Gabriel was last seen with his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, back in
December at a hotel near I-10 and Huebner. She is in jail in Arizona
and is charged with kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference.

Johnson
told the boy's father she killed Gabriel, stuffed his body in a diaper
bag and threw it in a dumpster. She later changed her story to say she
gave the baby to a couple she met in a park. Police say Johnson is not
cooperating with their investigation.

While McQueary feels that
San Antonio Police officers are not doing enough to look for the baby,
San Antonio police say they are doing a lot of work on the case. They
say the investigation is very active and detectives are following up on
leads. A spokesman for the department said officers look forward to
meeting with McQueary and talking to anyone who may have information
about Gabriel.

After his meeting with police, McQueary plans to
retrace the steps that the baby's mother took in San Antonio. He plans
to visit the hotel where she was last seen with the baby and the motel
where her car was found on the South Side.

If you have any information about this case, please call Crime Stoppers at 224-STOP.

Poster's Note: As in past cases, when the police change the focus of their investigation I change forums accordingly. As this is, according to LE, now a Homicide investigation, this topic has been moved to "Murdered Children".

According to police, there is information that Baby Gabriel, who was
last seen in San Antonio the day after Christmas, was murdered and
dumped in a landfill.
SAPD said the section of the landfill has been closed off and they will begin an active search in that area for the body.
Police Chief William McManus said that although they still hope to
find the baby alive, for now the case will be treated as a murder
investigation.
Homicide detectives have been assigned to the case.