Family of missing soldier’s spouse: Investigators suspect murder

The family of Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson, the 19-year-old pregnant wife of a soldier who has been missing since July 31, announced Thursday that investigators now believe she is dead and that the missing person case is now being treated as a homicide investigation.

Her husband, 28-year-old Pfc. Dewayne Arthur Johnson, has been in custody since at least Monday. Army investigators are still searching for Mischa Johnson, and no body has been found.

The family spoke out Thursday morning in a live video on the Instagram account of local podcast Always Always Support Local. In an emotional plea, Mischa Johnson's mother, Frances Tapiz-Andrian, asked people in Hawaii and across the country to contact the Army Criminal Investigations Division if they have any details that could help investigators find her.

“I can't even bury my daughter,” said Tapiz-Andrian. “Please don't abandon Mischa. I beg, I beg. Please, please come out. I suffer every day.”

The military has not officially confirmed Mischa Johnson's death, and Army officials have declined multiple requests to discuss the case with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, saying their investigation is ongoing. But on Wednesday, an Army CID investigator told Hawaii News Now they are seeking more details about Dewayne Johnson's whereabouts between July 12 and August 1.

Hawaii News Now also reported that surveillance videos from the store obtained by investigators showed Johnson purchasing tools and cleaning supplies before reporting his wife missing.

In the video broadcast on Always Always Support Local, members of Mischa Johnson's family said Army investigators are also investigating Dewayne Johnson for allegedly having extramarital sexual relations with several local teenage girls and producing and distributing pornographic material depicting minors.

The family said leaders of Dewayne Johnson's unit told them he was generally quiet and didn't socialize much with his fellow soldiers. The soldier is from Frederick, Maryland, and joined the Army in 2022. In June 2023, he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks as a cavalry scout.

Mischa Johnson was born and raised on Oahu and grew up in Ewa Beach. At the time of her disappearance, she was six months pregnant and expecting a baby girl. The Army is offering a $10,000 reward for credible information that can lead authorities to her whereabouts.

The Army CID can be reached at 808-208-0057 and tips can be submitted anonymously online at p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=325.