NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — More than seven years after Keir Johnson and her infant daughter Chloe vanished from the Peninsula, officials say they’ve arrested Chloe's father in connection to their disappearance.
Investigations
Exclusive: Keir Johnson's sister hopes man charged in her murder is 'put away'
Carlos Johnson Jr., a 46-year-old man from Newport News, is facing two counts of first-degree murder, Newport News Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn shared alongside Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and other officials at a press conference Monday.
Johnson Jr. is being held without bond. He's scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
Johnson Jr. was arrested around 12:30 p.m. last Friday during a traffic stop in Newport News, Gwynn shared, adding that he’s been a person of interest for “some time.”
Gwynn confirmed that Carlos Johnson Jr. is Chloe Johnson's father.
When speaking to WTKR News 3 anchor and investigator Jessica Larché on Monday, Teir Pettway, Keir Johnson's twin, shared that Johnson Jr. is her sister's ex-boyfriend.
Exclusive interview: Keir Johnson's twin sister hopes ex-boyfriend, now arrested in her murder, is 'put away'
Keir Johnson and Carlos Johnson Jr. were separated when the mother and daughter disappeared in April of 2017, Pettway says, adding that they were not married and their last names are only a coincidence.
Although Keir and Chloe Johnson haven't been found, Newport News police say they're investigating their disappearance as a double homicide.
Full press conference: Officials announce arrest, charges in Keir & Chloe Johnson case
Gwynn said there has only been one "no body" case in the city of Newport News, which is when someone is convicted of murder without the victim's body being recovered.
Keir and Chloe Johnson's disappearance in April '17
WTKR News 3's Jessica Larché has been following this case extensively since the disappearance, working to answer the very question family and concerned community members have asked over the years: what could have happened to the new mother and her precious baby girl?
On April 30, 2017, 34-year-old Keir Johnson and her 8-month-old baby were supposed to meet up with friends at Buckroe Beach in Hampton — but they never showed up. Their family reported them missing and 11 days later, the Hampton Police Department initiated an AMBER Alert.
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Three days after the AMBER Alert went out, Johnson’s abandoned vehicle was found on Jefferson Avenue and Arch Street in Newport News. Following that discovery, the Newport News Police Department took the lead on the investigation, which has remained active ever since.
Police's ongoing investigation
During Jessica's interviews with family and police over the years, both have indicated they believe someone is responsible for Keir and Chloe Johnson's disappearance.
“Do you believe someone did something to Keir and Chloe?” Jessica asked Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew in April of 2024, ahead of the seventh anniversary of their disappearance.
“I do, I do. I don’t think they just walked out and disappeared. There was too much in their life," he answered. “I do believe that at some point we will end up in a courtroom and hold individuals accountable.”
Previous coverage: Newport News police seek answers in mother, daughter disappearance
“I know you’re very careful not to jeopardize the investigation,” Jessica said to Chief Drew. “But is there a person of interest now, or has there ever been?”
Chief Drew was guarded in his response — and said he did not want to disclose anything that would jeopardize the investigation.
“There are certainly individuals that we have looked at and talked to that pique our interest, but I don’t want to go any further than that because we don’t have some of those things that link systems of people together,” Drew said.
A family without closure
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of their disappearance in 2022, Jessica sat down with Keir Johnson’s twin sister, Teir Pettway. She said she and her sister were "inseparable" and talked every day — including on the morning of April 30, 2017. However, when she didn't get a call from her sister later that night, the family knew something wasn't right.
“It’s just not the norm for my sister not to call me [saying] good night,” Pettway shared. “I think somebody she trusted did something to [them]."
Previous coverage: Sister of missing peninsula mom and daughter believes they were killed
When speaking with Jessica on Monday, Pettway said her suspicion that her sister was killed by someone she knew was confirmed following Johnson Jr.'s arrest.
"That's who we've always known to be the alleged suspect — or however you're supposed to say it — that's who we've always known, but we just couldn't say. But I’m glad the police finally made an arrest and they can start the legal process on putting him away," she shared.
Prosecutors' job is 'only beginning'
Gwynn reminded the public about the $35,000 in reward money available for information leading to the recovery of Keir and Chloe Johnson. He urged those with information to share it with authorities to help investigators and prosecutors.
"Even though someone has been arrested, the job is only beginning... We know that in the last seven years, there are people in this community who have information about this case. People who have information about this case that can help bring closure to a family that has suffered for seven years almost eight," he shared.
The $35,000 in reward money was organized by The Newport News Police Foundation. You can call the Keir and Chloe Johnson tip line at (757) 354-7556 or email findkeirandchloe@nnva.gov.
