Two 14-year-old girls arrested in connection with the murder of a 93-year-old woman

BUTLER COUNTY, Kansas (KWCH/Gray News) – Two 14-year-old girls have been arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with the September 2023 death of a 93-year-old woman.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said the Augusta teenagers were arrested Thursday afternoon and are being held in separate juvenile detention centers.

Joanne Johnson was found dead in her home on Labor Day weekend last year.

Augusta police said Johnson lived alone and authorities ruled her death a homicide.

After Johnson's death, her son released a statement calling his mother a wonderful and kind person.

“The situation is inexplicable, no different than being struck by lightning on a cloudless day,” the statement said. “The family has no words or ability to understand what happened.”

In May, eight months after Johnson's death, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and the 93-year-old's family offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Kelly issued an executive order offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides details that could lead to a conviction in Johnson's case. Johnson's family offered to double the reward, bringing the total to $10,000.

Reacting to the arrests in the case nearly a year after Johnson's death, her family said they were in shock but also ready to see the beginning of a resolution to this devastating year.

The family and Johnson's former neighbors in Augusta said they lived in fear while those responsible for the woman's death remained at large. Although Johnson's friends and family are still heartbroken, they say they are relieved by the breakthrough in the case.

“We just loved them and this was the most devastating thing we've ever experienced on our block, in our neighborhood,” said Holly Randol, Johnson's former neighbor. “It still breaks my heart that all this had to happen. These were children, children. My heart is just broken.”

Johnson's family said they did not know the girls arrested in the case, but added that regardless of their age, the murder was brutal and the punishment must be severe.

Matt Ward, superintendent of Augusta Public Schools, addressed the arrest of the two teenagers in a statement to families in the district.

“News like this can be difficult, but I want to emphasize that the incident under investigation occurred outside of school nearly a year ago. It did not occur on school district property, and no one from our school was put in danger at any time,” Ward's statement said.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, formal charges have yet to be filed and the investigation is ongoing.

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