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

TEMPE, AZ – Two people named 'persons of interest' in the disappearance of a missing Tempe child say the have taken a polygraph test.

Tammi and Jack Smith said they were willing to take the examination after being named suspects on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Steve Carbajal confirmed Tammi then took the exam late Friday, but did not release any further details. It is unknown when Jack took the test.

According to Carbajal, investigators believe the Smiths have undisclosed information that will lead them to baby Gabriel Johnson.

"We should have been persons of interest from day one," said Jack Smith. "We are persons of interest. We were probably the last people to see Gabriel before he left town."

The Smiths had apparently tried to adopt the 8-month-old from mother Elizabeth Johnson last month, but Gabriel's father, Logan McQuary refused to sign the adoption papers.

"When Gabriel dissapeared, they said basically, if you really care about your son and you want him back, and you want Elizabeth to bring him back, that you'll sign the paperwork and then she'll bring him back to us, and you'll know he's safe," said McQueary. "And I said, no, I'm not signing any paperwork."

The Smiths said they were just relaying messages from Johnson to McQueary after she had taken off with the baby.

"Let's do this paperwork, and maybe she'll tell us where the baby is," said Tammi Smith. "It's not legal anyway, but does she have to know that? I mean, I'd rather get the baby back and sign the phony papers, but I guess the detectives don't want us to do that."

When McQueary tried to gain custody of Gabriel, 23-year-old Elizabeth apparently disappeared with the infant.

Carbajal said Elizabeth initially told authorities she gave her baby to a couple she met in San Antonio while on the run after skipping out on a custodial hearing in Phoenix.

"They wanted the baby and she simply gave it to them," said Bob Johnson, Elizabeth's grandfather. "It sounded like a pretty weak story. It was almost on the border of unbelievable that a person would do that with an 8-month-old child."

But Johnson also said he doesn't believe the Smiths had anything to do with Gabriel's disappearance.

"That's ridiculous... no, God, no," he said.

Bob Johnson said Elizabeth met Tammi Smith at an airport when Gabriel was just a month old. He said Gabriel was fussing and Tammi came to help Elizabeth, and then cared for Gabriel the entire flight home. After that, they apparently kept in touch.

Despite reports that they wished to adopt Gabriel, the Smiths now say they have nothing to hide, and that they're doing all they can to reunited Gabriel with his father.

"We were actually just thinking of maybe just getting a dog," joked Tammi Smith. "It seems to be a hard process adopting, and I don't know that we want to go through this again, unless the courts said, here's a baby and the parents both signed. That's different."

Both police officials and the Smiths say they believe Gabriel is alive. Now the challenge is finding him.

Tempe police say detectives are in Miama, Florida waiting to bring Johnson back to the Valley.

Police are working with the FBI, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and are taking tips from all over the country from anyone who may have spotted the baby.

If you have any information regarding Gabriel's whereabouts, officials ask that you call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).





Carbajal said Elizabeth left Arizona with Gabriel on December 18. There have been no signs of the boy since the day after Christmas.

Police did find Elizabeth in Florida last week and arrested her for failing to appear at her custodial hearing.

But Gabriel was not with her and detectives said she refused to tell them where he is.

"She was confronted, arrested and interviewed exhaustively about the whereabouts of the child," said Wayne Jones, with Miami Beach Police.

Earlier this week, the Smiths defended Gabriel and Elizabeth on national TV.

"She's completely innocent," said Tammi, speaking about Elizabeth. "She loves that baby, and just wants to find a good home for that baby. As a mother, I commend her."

Gabriel's father, Logan McQueary, said Elizabeth had been pushing him to sign adoption papers granting the Smiths custody of Gabriel.

McQueary also said that after the baby disappeared, Smith approached him with similar requests.

"When Gabriel disappeared, they said basically, 'if you really care about your son and you want him back, and you want Elizabeth to bring him back, that you'll sign the paperwork and then she'll bring him back to us, and you'll know he's safe,'" said McQueary. "I said, 'no, I'm not signing any paperwork.'"

McQueary was on several TV morning shows Thursday, pleading to the public to get his son back.

"Please don't be afraid of getting into trouble, just drop him off at a fire station, help me get my son back," he said.

McQueary said he had previously received text messages from Gabriel's mother saying she had killed the child.

"She basically said, 'there's no way in Hell you're ever seeing your son again,'" he said.

"Is she saying these things to hurt the father or would she actually hurt her own baby?" said Carbajal. "We don't know yet. We're hoping the baby is in good condition and will be returned safely."

But McQueary says he believes Gabriel is still alive, considering he and Johnson were last seen at a park after McQueary received the threatening
messages.

Elizabeth's twin brother, Robert Johnson, said he doesn't believe his sister's story, but also said he has to support her.

"She's stubborn and hard headed. If she doesn't want Logan to have the baby, she will do everything she can to keep Gabriel from Logan."

Johnson has a history of eratic behavior.

In September of 2009, police arrested Johnson for criminal damage.

According to a police report, Johnson broke several of her apartment's windows and mirrors, destroyed a television, and a video game system.

The report also said she used a knife to cut McQueary's clothes.

Then in December of 2009, another police report revealed Johnson called police and told them McQueary had taken Gabriel and would no give him back.
Police later accused Johnson of filing a false police report after learning Johnson herself gave Gabriel to Tammi and Jack Smith.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A nationwide search for a
missing baby has sent agents to Nashville. The FBI has been trying to
determine if the 8-month-old baby boy, named Gabriel Johnson, could
have been in the city at some point.On
Thursday authorities in Tempe, Ariz., said a couple who used to live
and work in middle Tennessee may know something more about the child.The
couple have said they wanted to adopt the child and spent significant
time getting to know the baby, even taking pictures with Gabriel and
their own 4-year-old daughter in their home.Police said Gabriel
Johnson was last seen with his mother, Elizabeth Johnson, Dec. 26 in
San Antonio. Four days later, Elizabeth was arrested in Miami, Fla.,
for failing to show up at a custody hearing in Arizona.Gabriel was nowhere to be found.Police later recovered the 23-year-old mother's car with a baby seat in the back outside a hotel.The day after Johnson was arrested in Florida, FBI agents in Nashville were called.“We
were called by FBI agents in Miami and asked to check out an address
here in Nashville," said Keith Moses, assistant special agent in
charge. "We went and knocked on the door, interviewed occupants and, at
this point, were unable to locate the child.”Tempe police are now focusing on Tammi and Jack Smith.In
2004, Tammi opened her first colon hydrotherapy clinic, "Healing
Waters," on Central Court in Hermitage. Three years later, she sold it
and moved back home to Arizona. Her former business is now called
"Cleansing Concepts" and is owned by a woman who used to work with
Smith. She said she's
shocked to hear Smith and her husband have been named persons of
interests in the case. She also said she just spoke with Tammi about a
week ago and she knew she was trying to adopt.Police in Tempe,
Ariz., are focusing on the Smiths because they believe the couple know
more about the baby's whereabouts than they are saying.Authorities in Tennessee will continue to help.“We've
found no indication that Gabriel has been in the area, but because of
the two ties we have with Elizabeth Johnson and Tammi Smith, obviously
we're going to make sure every stone is uncovered that we can to find
this boy,” said Moses.The FBI could not elaborate on where the house was it searched or how the occupants knew Johnson.As
for the baby's father, Logan McQueary, he's the one who first reported
his son missing to police. Authorities believe the child is alive.The Smiths have cooperated with police and said they have nothing to hide.If
you think you have seen Gabriel Johnson, you're asked to call the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST OR
1-800-843-5678.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- FBI agents in Nashville
rushed to a home after getting a tip from agents in Miami that missing
baby Gabriel Johnson might be there.Exactly what evidence Elizabeth Johnson
offered that led authorities to Nashville is still unclear.But it was enough to have
FBI agents rush to the home in Nashville, a city to which her friends say Elizabeth has never been."We
went, knocked on the door, and interviewed the occupants and have been
unable at this point to locate the child," said FBI Special Agent Keith
Moss.Unfortunately, that search was just the latest in a growing list of dead ends.
Tammi and Jack Smith, the couple who
tried to adopt Gabriel and who have been named as persons of interest
in his disappearance, used to live in Nashville.And late Friday
night, Tammi Smith said she knew what the Nashville search was all
about. It was the home of a friend of hers, Janet Morris, who she asked
to counsel Elizabeth Johnson about what she could face legally if she
tried to disappear with Gabriel."I called (Elizabeth) and said
'look, you've got to call this girl Janet,' and so Janet basically, she
called her and as far as I know, Janet told her the same thing that
we've been telling her and begged her to come back. 'And if you don't
come back, you could be facing these charges and these charges,'" said
Tammi Smith.Tammi Smith also explained a post on her Facebook
page, where she asked people to pray for Elizabeth because the mother
had found 'undercover' help in Texas to change her's and Gabriel's
identities. Smith took Elizabeth's comments to mean that she had found
a women's shelter that provided "extra" and illegal services.
All of these connections have FBI agents in Nashville very active in the search."As
leads develop to the area, Tammi Smith is one individual who formerly
resided in Nashville. As leads are developed by the Phoenix field
offices, the Miami field offices, we're following up on those," said
Special Agent Moss.Friday, the Smiths agreed to take polygraph
tests to prove they have no knowledge of where Gabriel may be. The
results of those tests have not been released, but the Smiths remain
resolute."There would be nothing that they could charge us with
because we have done nothing we've done everything that the police have
asked us," Tammi Smith said.But investigators still believe the
Smiths know more than they are telling.Elizabeth
Johnson's grandfather, Bob Johnson, even felt the Smiths were speaking
in code to her when we recorded a group phone call including the Smith's
and Elizabeth from jail in Miami.What is clear is that the Smiths, even then,
were trying to clear their names."Did we try really hard to get you back here?"
asked Tammi Smith."Yes," replied Elizabeth Johnson."And did we offer to get
you an attorney and help you to keep custody?" Smith asked."Yeah," said Johnson.
Elizabeth did lie about the location of her car several times during the call.
After the polygraph tests Friday, investigators hope to soon know whether the Smiths are lying now.

PHOENIX --
The mother at the center of a missing baby case is back in Arizona.Maricopa
County sheriff's deputies say Elizabeth Johnson was extradited from
Miami where she had been held since her recent arrest.Authorities
are trying to determine what happened to Johnson's 8-month-old son
Gabriel, who was last seen with her in San Antonio last month.


She has said she gave the boy away there. She made that statement after
she informed her ex-boyfriend that she had killed the baby. But police
don't think the child has been harmed.Now,
authorities say a couple from Scottsdale have been named persons of
interest in the case. They say they earlier wanted to adopt the baby
may know more about the missing child than they're telling
investigators.

Elizabeth Johnson's grandfather says she grew
up with a drug-addicted father and an alcoholic mother and then bounced
around five different foster homes.
She has always been impulsive, secretive and prone to fits of rage.
A relative says that as a child, she would break windows in her home
and chased her father with a plunger.
Yet she carried a 4.0 GPA through high school, and she was
determined to not let her son suffer the same kind of childhood she
had.
That is why her grandfather Bob Johnson says he can't believe she
would harm her baby, Gabriel, even to get back at the boy's father.
Elizabeth is now sitting in a Miami, Fla., jail, awaiting
extradition to Arizona, and a nationwide search is on for her
8-month-old baby after she sent text messages
to the boy's father, Logan McQueary, saying she'd killed their baby.
She later recanted, saying she'd given Gabriel to a couple she met in a
park in Texas.
The drama played out on national television all last week, with
McQueary, appearing on national cable news stations and network morning
shows pleading for Gabriel to be returned.
"She's got a spiteful streak," said Bob, who is the person Elizabeth has turned to the most since her parents died.
"She has a pattern of physical destruction," he said. "I don't know
why she hates Logan so much. He tried as hard as he could to make her
happy, but she's a tough horse to ride."
Court records and interviews show that Elizabeth's fights with
McQueary were so violent that she cut up his clothes and broke windows
in the apartment
they shared. Elizabeth was charged with domestic-violence-related
criminal damage and went into a diversion program, court records show.
McQueary got an order of protection against her in September, but
it took only days for the couple to make up. He didn't appear in court,
and the order was quashed.
In early December, three days before Elizabeth took her baby and
left Arizona in her 1995 Oldsmobile, she told her grandfather, "I'm
taking care of business."
She rented out a room in her home at a Tempe trailer park to a man found through Craigslist.
She told Bob she had a job interview and needed a ride. The next
time he heard from her was nearly two weeks later, when she called
collect from jail.
Elizabeth has refused to talk to police or the FBI, who are trying
to piece together her cross-country odyssey. Before she was arrested in
Florida, she texted McQueary from Texas and said she killed the boy and
left him in a dumpster. She later told to a local TV station that she gave
him away to a couple she met in a San Antonio park.
According to McQueary, the couple broke up on Dec. 8. Around the
same time, Elizabeth told her grandfather about the plan to give
Gabriel to Jack and Tammi Smith, a Scottsdale couple.
She had met Tammi at Boston's Logan International Airport. The
Smiths spent the following seven months trying to adopt Gabriel. They
even had custody of him for 10 to 12 days.
Police now suspect the Smiths may know the child's whereabouts
and have named them persons of interest in the case.
Bob said his granddaughter told him the baby's best future lay with the Smiths.
"I want him to have a better life than I did," she told him, "and
the way things are going with me and Logan, he doesn't (have) a
chance."
McQueary refused to sign over his parental rights. Elizabeth told
her grandfather she planned to circumvent McQueary by avoiding him for
30 days and then claiming abandonment. It didn't take long for him to
catch on. He petitioned for full custody on Dec. 11.
A week later, McQueary went to Elizabeth's trailer to pick up the boy, but she was gone.
Since then, Bob has heard from his granddaughter twice. First, she
called to ask for Tammi Smith's home phone number to call her collect
from jail. In the second conversation, which was recorded by a local
television station, Elizabeth said she had not killed her baby but had
given him to a couple in a San Antonio park.
Bob said he is not sure he believes that story, but he does think the boy is alive.
He has photos of Gabriel with his parents at Thanksgiving. One shows
them feeding him. Another shows Elizabeth lying on the couch with her legs
draped across McQueary, both smiling. The whole day, relatives
commented on how much McQueary doted over the boy. The couple seemed
happy.
When asked if Elizabeth was capable of following through on the threats she made to McQueary, Bob paused.
"I think anybody is capable, including Elizabeth, in a fit of rage," he said.
"I just hope they find the baby healthy and well, and these criminal
charges get worked out," he said. "I'd like to see that baby put in a
good home."

TEMPE - A 23-year-old Tempe mother at the center of a missing baby case has left Miami and arrived at the Maricopa County jail. Elizabeth Johnson has been charged with kidnapping, child abuse and custodial interference.

Tempe Police say that Johnson is being held on a cash-only $1.1 million bond, after being extradited from Florida. Johnson
was arrested in Miami on Dec. 30 after failing to show up for a
custodial hearing in Phoenix. Johnson had apparently driven
cross-country with her 8-month-old son Gabriel. Gabriel was last seen with her in San Antonio. She tells police she gave him up to an unknown couple in Texas for adoption. Authorities
are calling a Scottsdale couple "persons of interest" in the case. The
Smiths tell police they befriended Johnson at an airport and she
offered to give her son to them to adopt -- but the baby's father
didn't agree. TIPLINE: 1-800-THE-LOST

TEMPE, AZ -- As the search continues for a missing Tempe baby, we're learning more about the family at the center of the case.

Police
say mother Elizabeth Johnson is not cooperating with authorities who
are working with the FBI in at least four states to find her baby,
Gabriel.

"Just tell me where he's at," said Gabriel's father, Logan McQueary.

McQueary
was granted custody after Johnson didn't show up for a custodial court
hearing and allegedly fled the state with the child.

He has
made many public appeals to find the 8-month-old, but court documents
now reveal he may not be Gabriel's biological father.

In her
petition for custody on Dec. 14, Johnson wrote that there were "two
potential fathers," and requested that both McQueary and another man,
Craig Cherry, take paternity tests.

Cherry said he had no comment on the case when reached by phone Sunday.

"If
they're looking for a place for Gabriel to go, we have the father, and
the father wants his baby boy back," said Sgt. Steve Carbajal. "That's
the bottom line of this whole case."

In court documents, Johnson said she feared McQueary would kidnap the baby and leave the state.

Three
days earlier, McQuary filed for custody, saying he feared Johnson would
kidnap the baby, and that she was neglectful and unstable.

In
the statement, McQueary wrote that Johnson would leave Gabriel crying
in his crib for hours without changing his diaper, and that she kicked
McQueary out of their apartment, saying, "Take that damn baby with you."

According
to documents, he had previously filed a restraining order against her,
after he said she trashed their Tempe apartment, causing thousands of
dollars in damage.

A protective order was later dismissed when the couple got back together.

On
Dec. 14, McQueary wrote in his complaint that Johnson hid the baby at a
friend's house until police finally found the boy at 3:30 in the
morning.

That's when Johnson allegedly told him she wanted to
give Gabriel up for adoption to another couple, the Smiths, who are now
persons of interest in the case.

"She called me on the phone and
said, you need to sign these papers," said McQueary. "I said, 'What
papers,' and she said, 'I already gave them to the people that are
going to adopt him.'"

The Smiths have been making regular
appearances on news programs and recently took polygraph tests. Police
have not released the results of those tests.

"We should have
been persons of interest from day one," said Jack Smith. "I mean, we
are persons of interest. We were probably the last people to see
Gabriel."

Though police say they are confident the baby is
alive, McQueary said in his statement that Johnson called him after she
disappeared with the boy, saying she was planning to leave the country,
and that she would tell him where Gabriel's "blue" dead body was once
she had crossed the border.

McQueary also said she texted him around that time period, saying she had killed the baby.

Johnson later recanted and said she gave Gabriel to a random couple she met at a San Antonio park.

The search for Gabriel continues.

Police said Monday
they are continuing to investigate conflicting statements made by a
couple involved in the case of a missing 8-month-old Tempe boy.The results of a polygraph test taken Friday by Jack and Tammi Smith
of Scottsdale, who wanted to adopt Gabriel Johnson, came back as
“inconclusive,” according to Tempe police Sgt. Steve Carbajal.
The Smiths were named persons of interest by police last week
because investigators believe they are withholding information that
could possibly lead them to the whereabouts of the child.
The baby’s mother, Elizabeth Johnson, was extradited late Saturday
from Florida to a Maricopa County jail, where she is being held on a
$1.1 million cash bond. Johnson remained uncooperative with authorities
about the child’s whereabouts and also is facing charges of kidnapping
and child abuse, police said.
The Tempe woman claimed she killed Gabriel and left him in a
dumpster, but police believe the child is still alive. The child’s
disappearance has sparked a nationwide search.
Gabriel was last seen with his 23-year-old mother Dec. 26 at a hotel
in San Antonio. She lost custody of her son to the boy’s father, Logan
Scott McQueary, two days later when she failed to show up at a custody
hearing.
Johnson was arrested Dec. 30 at a youth hostel in Miami Beach, Fla.,
and held while awaiting extradition. She told McQueary that she killed
the baby and left it in a trash bin. But police have said they believe
Gabriel is alive, and they are investigating whether she gave him away.
Results from a polygraph test can be “deceptive,” “truthful” or
“inconclusive,” Carbajal said. In this case, the results came back
inconclusive.
“It doesn’t really clear things up,” Carbajal said of the Smiths’
polygraph results. “We’re still investigating and asking for leads and
looking at everything.”
Kim Hale, commander of investigations for Tempe police, said Monday
that Johnson was “very quiet and standoffish” when aboard the plane
back to Arizona from Florida.
“She was not forthcoming with any information — and she’s been that
way since she was arrested,” Hale said. “At this point, the baby could
be anywhere. When asked if she wanted to be helpful in locating where
her baby was, she had nothing to say.”
Authorities appealed to whoever may have Gabriel, saying the child
can be turned over to a fire station or hospital if that person is
afraid to come forward.
If anyone has any information about the boy’s whereabouts, they can
call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800)
843-5678.

Video of court appearance of Elizabeth upon return to Arizona

Where’s Gabriel? 8 Month Old Boy Still Missing after Mother Kidnapped Him



Tuesday, January 12, 2010
By Robert Franklin, Esq.


It
should surprise no one that the case of missing Baby Boy Gabriel has
more to it than first met the eye. As you no doubt recall, Gabriel's
father, Logan McQueary was awarded custody of 8-month-old Gabriel when
his mother, Elizabeth Johnson kidnapped the boy and failed to show up
for a custody hearing. The next thing we knew, Johnson had been
arrested in Florida without Gabriel. She's since been extradited to
Arizona, all the while claiming that she gave Gabriel to strangers in a
park in San Antonio. She also told McQueary that she would kill the
child and later that she had killed him. Police say they don't believe
that the boy has been harmed.
The latest, here, is that Johnson stated in a court filing that there are two potential fathers, McQueary and another Tempe man, Craig Cherry (ABC 15, 1/11/10).

McQueary was granted custody after Johnson didn't show
up for a custodial court hearing and allegedly fled the state with the
child.
He has made many public appeals to find the 8-month-old, but court
documents now reveal he may not be Gabriel's biological father.
In her petition for custody on Dec. 14, Johnson wrote that there
were "two potential fathers," and requested that both McQueary and
another man, Craig Cherry, take paternity tests.

Also, McQueary had requested and received a restraining order
against Johnson because she reportedly had "trashed" their apartment,
doing thousands of dollars worth of damage and cut up all of McQueary's
clothing. She also secreted Gabriel at the house of friends on a
previous occasion. In his court filing, McQueary alleged that Johnson
was neglectful of and even hostile toward Gabriel.
After all of that, Johnson apparently decided to place Gabriel for
adoption with a Tempe couple, Jack and Terri Smith. Terri Smith has
appeared on various radio and television shows defending Johnson and
denigrating McQueary. The couple have now been named "persons of
interest" in Gabriel's disappearance by the Tempe police. They have
been interviewed and given polygraph tests, the results of which have
not been released.
Throughout the custody fight, Johnson and the Smiths seem to have
demanded that McQueary sign documents terminating his parental rights
to Gabriel. At one point Johnson reportedly told McQueary that he
would never see Gabriel again if he didn't waive his parental rights.
McQueary has at all times refused.
What began as a case that looked like it would be quickly resolved
with Gabriel's recovery, has begun to look ominous. By now, the case
has gotten enough media attention that anyone who has the child and
who's not part of a conspiracy to keep Gabriel away from his father,
would have come forward and turned the boy in by now. Johnson's story
about the couple in the park in San Antonio never had the ring of
truth, and now it sounds even less so.
So where is Gabriel? If the Smiths have him or know where he is,
police questioning surely would have uncovered the fact. The
possibility that Johnson placed him with an adoption agency somewhere
and told them she didn't know the father's identity is an outside
possibility, but doubtful given the short time in which all of this has
happened. Also, while adoption agencies are far from the most
scrupulous of places, I suspect most would have turned the child over
to authorities by now.
All this leads to an uncomfortable conclusion - that Johnson did
what she said she would do - take the boy's life. That's highly
speculative of course and the police don't believe that's what
happened. But given all the media attention to this case, the question
remains, "where is Gabriel?"

A reward up to $5,000 is being offered for
information that leads authorities to 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson, last
seen with his mother in San Antonio in late December.
Crime Stoppers announced the reward Wednesday morning. The boy has
not been seen since Dec. 26, and his mother, who remains jailed in
Arizona on three felony charges in connection with her son's
disappearance, has not cooperated with authorities, they said.
The infant's mother, Elizabeth Johnson, 23, is being held at the
Maricopa County Jail in Arizona, charged with kidnapping, child abuse
and custodial interference. A cash-only bond has been set at $1.1
million.
Authorities, including the FBI and the San Antonio Police
Department, said Johnson and her baby checked into a North Side hotel
from Dec. 20 to Dec. 27. Johnson was seen boarding a bus to Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 27, but Gabriel wasn't with her, authorities
said.
She was arrested in Florida Dec. 30, after she failed to show up for a custodial hearing in Phoenix.
Authorities are calling a Scottsdale couple “persons of interest” in
the case. The couple has said they befriended at an airport Johnson,
who they said wanted to give her son up for adoption.

The nationwide search
for the missing 8-month-old Tempe boy has led FBI agents to question
employees of a San Antonio, Texas, organization that oversees the
licensing of colon-cleansing practitioners.
The International Association of Colon Hydrotherapists certified
Tammi Smith of Scottsdale, who was named a person of interest in the
search for Gabriel Johnson.
The boy’s mother, 23-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, was last seen with
Gabriel on Dec. 26 at a motel about a block away from the
organization’s offices.
“It’s a long shot, but we’re questioning people there to see if
there is a connection,” said Kim Hale, commander of investigations for
the Tempe Police Department. “Our focus continues to be in San Antonio
where the child was last seen.”
Smith owns Healing Waters in Sun City West and in Glendale,
according to her company’s Web site. Her husband, Jack Smith, also was
named a person of interest in the case. The couple had said they were
interested in adopting Gabriel from his mother and father, Logan
McQueary. Police have said the Smiths are withholding information that
could lead them to the baby boy.
Johnson was arrested at a youth hostel in Miami Beach, Fla. on Dec.
30, and was extradited to Arizona late Saturday on suspicion of
custodial interference, kidnapping and child abuse. She is being held
in the Maricopa County Estrella Jail on $1.1 million cash bond, and has
been uncooperative with authorities since her arrest, Hale said.
Hale said Wednesday that investigators are trying to determine
whether Johnson, 23, gave the child away in San Antonio as she told the
FBI, or killed the baby. Johnson told McQueary, her estranged
boyfriend, by phone and text message on Dec. 27 that she killed the
baby and put its body in a dumpster in a baby bag, according to a
Maricopa County Superior Court document.
However, police have said they believe the baby is still alive.
When Johnson was arrested, she had about $500 cash on her, according to police.
Hale said there was a certain amount of planning that Johnson did
before she left Arizona with the baby on Dec. 18, and investigators
believe she had some kind of help.
“We know originally, she sold a couple of dogs, she had a roommate
that gave her about $400, and she had some social services assistance,”
Hale said. “When you start adding up all that, we estimated she had
about $1,200 when she left. By the time you start calculating the
drive, gas, motel stays and shopping in Miami, and her having about
$500 cash on her at the time of her arrest, the numbers don’t add up.
Somewhere along the way, she came into some extra funds.”
The International Association of Colon Hydrotherapists claims it is
the only organization that certifies colon hydrotherapists and has
about 2,500 members throughout the United States and in other
countries, the association’s spokeswoman said.
The Smiths took a polygraph administered by Tempe police on Friday,
and the results came back as inconclusive, according to police.
Jack Smith told the Tribune on Wednesday that Tammi visited Johnson
in jail, and he was not sure whether Tammi had ever been in San Antonio
“in her life.”
San Antonio police opened a missing persons investigation into
Gabriel on Thursday, and a $5,000 reward now is being offered for the
safe return of Gabriel through Crime Stoppers in San Antonio. If anyone
has any information about Gabriel’s whereabouts, they can call (210)
224-7867.
Tips can also be submitted online at www.sacrimestoppers.com or text “Tip 127 plus your tip” to CRIMES (274637).
Hale said Wednesday that investigators also have a GPS tracking
device that was recovered from the 1995 white Delta-88 Oldsmobile she
abandoned in San Antonio on Dec. 27 before boarding a bus to Miami.
If anyone knows of Gabriel Johnson’s whereabouts, they also can call
the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at
1-800-843-5678.

Elizabeth Johnson, the Arizona mother jailed after she disappeared with her about-to-be-adopted infant son, confirmed today in a brief jailhouse interview that 8-month-old Gabriel Johnson is alive.
Johnson, a striking 23-year-old, has been jailed following her arrest
on kidnapping and child abuse charges after Gabriel disappeared on her
cross country trip in which she allegedly sent text messages to the
boy's biological father that she had killed their son.
"Yes I'm sure he's alive," Johnson confirmed today.
She was being visited by Tammi Smith, who, along with her
husband Jack Smith, say they were in talks with Johnson to adopt
Gabriel before he disappeared. The Smiths have been named persons of
interest by Tempe, Ariz., police for potentially withholding
information about the case.
The Smiths have stuck by Johnson, but recently told ABC News
that they are frustrated and want Johnson to tell police what she did
with the baby. Tammi Smith told Johnson in jail that she and her
husband have been blamed for Gabriel's disappearance.
"I am so, so sorry about that," Johnson replied. But still, no word on where Gabriel is.
Johnson told a Phoenix CBS affiliate shortly after her Dec. 29
arrest in Miami Beach that she gave Gabriel to a couple she met in a
San Antonio, Texas, park, but that she didn't know anything about them,
only that they seemed trustworthy.
She told ABC News that her time in jail has not been that bad.
She has been able to see her lawyer everyday and gets to spend time
outside during her recreation hour.
The Smiths took lie detector tests last week, but police have not yet publicized the results.
They told "Good Morning America" earlier this week that they are now starting to doubt the young mother.
"I feel like a fool," Tammi Smith said.
"Stop whatever charade is being played," Jack Smith added. "Tell
them where the baby is, and let's get back to our normal lives."
Last week, the boy's father Logan McQueary appeared on "Good Morning America" and begged for Gabriel's return.
"Please, do the right thing and turn him over. Don't worry about
getting in trouble or anything like that," McQueary pleaded. "Please. I
want my son back."
In a jailhouse interview with the Phoenix CBS affiliate,
Johnson denied harming their son, saying she told McQueary she had
killed Gabriel to get back at him.
"He had ruined my life, and he hurt me, and I wanted to hurt
him," she said. "And that was the only thing I could say that would
hurt him."

Cops: Couple Claiming to Be Gabriel's Adoptive Parents Have No Rights to Child


Johnson's grandfather, Bob Johnson, told ABC News that he doesn't
believe his granddaughter's story that she simply left her child with
an unknown couple.
"I think that she has given the baby to somebody, and I think
she knows who it is," he said. "I think it's in San Antonio in somebody
else's house, and she just ain't given it up.
"She has an anger-management problem, and she's working on that," Bob Johnson said.
A search of Johnson's car -- found by the FBI last Tuesday in
San Antonio -- yielded no obvious clues or evidence of violence, police
say.
Motherhood was never really Johnson's strong suit, Bob Johnson said.
"She discovered after eight months that there's more to this
parenting than she wanted to get involved in," he said. "It was not her
thing. She was into fashion."
Police have searched the Smiths' home but found no clues to indicate where Gabriel might be.
Carbajal told "Good Morning America" that Tammi and Jack Smith have no legal right to the child.
"We want to be clear that the court has made a determination
here in Arizona that Logan is the father," he said. "Logan has stated
numerous times that his desire is to raise his son Gabriel."
McQueary has charged that the Smiths pressured him into giving up the rights to his child.
"When Gabriel disappeared, they said, basically, 'You know, if
you care about your son and you want him back, you will sign the
paperwork and she will bring him back to us and you will know that he
is safe,'" McQueary said.
The Smiths denied that accusation and said they were simply
passing on that message from Johnson and that they told McQueary they
knew such papers wouldn't hold up because he signed them under duress,
though it might bring the baby back.
"The father and Jack and I were in constant contact when we
found out Elizabeth fled with the baby," Tammi Smith said. "When we
finally got to speak to Elizabeth, she was so angry with the whole
situation and told me, 'I have one message to give to Logan.'"
That message, Smith said, was sign the papers and the baby will be brought back.
Anyone with information about Gabriel Johnson is asked to call the Tempe Police Department at 480-350-8311.

PHOENIX - A blog entry from early January is sparking some interest in the case of a missing Arizona infant.

Eight-month-old Gabriel was last seen on December 26 in San Antonio, Texas.

Investigators
say his mother, 23-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, drove there from her
home in Tempe, stayed about a week, then took a bus to Florida without
Gabriel.

In reply to a web post on BeckyHiggins.com,
blogger "Beth" wrote, "I live in WI, but am currently in San Antonio,
TX. My husband and I are adopting a handsome baby boy that was placed
into our care on January 1. I've decided to make my project life about
Baby Gabriel. Even though I won't be home when my project arrives I am
clicking away taking his photo here in San Antonio."

The entry is timestamped on January 4th. There's no contact info listed for Beth.

Elizabeth Johnson was arrested on December 30 and returned to Arizona to face kidnapping and child abuse charges.

Her baby is still missing.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for the safe return of Gabriel.

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

A news conference with Tempe Police is scheduled for 1 p.m. today.

SAN ANTONIO -- During a jail house interview on Wednesday, the boy's
mother, Elizabeth Johnson said she is sure that her son
Gabriel is still alive.

The 8-month-old Arizona boy was last seen in San Antonio on December 26, 2009.

Officers say
Elizabeth Johnson is not cooperating with the police investigation
but seems to be telling other people her claims about what happened to
the boy. On Wednesday, Tammi Smith visited Johnson in jail. Smith and
her husband had planned to adopt Gabriel. They are now considered
persons of interest in this case.

After meeting with Johnson, Smith told reporters that Johnson claimed
she gave the baby to a couple in San Antonio.

"She said, 'I was in the hotel room... that they came in my hotel room. I
held (Gabriel), and we talked, and I signed the paper,' which obviously
was not notarized, and then she put the baby in the car seat. They left
her hotel. She did not see the baby in the car," explained Smith.

Investigators have confirmed that Johnson stayed at two San Antonio hotels.
She allegedly told Smith that she only stayed at one hotel. Johnson also
allegedly said that she believes there is surveillance video of a
couple leaving the hotel with Gabriel.

"I think everybody needs to be looking, because according to Elizabeth,
these people were going to try to hide this baby," Smith added. "According to her, they are
trying to hide this baby because they believe in a few years, nobody
will know who the baby is."

Police say that Johnson's claim that a couple is pictured on surveillance video with
the child is inaccurate. Investigators have said that Johnson has
changed the stories that she is telling people.

In the meantime, the Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for any
information that leads to Gabriel's safe return. If you have any
information, please call (210) 224-STOP (7867).