Grandma Of 2 Dead Children Found In Trunk Says She Contacted CPS

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The grandmother of the two dead children whose bodies were found decomposing in the trunk of their aunt's vehicle says she contacted the police and Child Protective Services about her children. Now, she wants both of her daughters arrested.

Baltimore County Police arrested and charged 33-year-old Nicole M. Johnson of the 3500 block of Elmora Ave. She is the children's aunt. According to the Baltimore County Police Department, Johnson's niece and nephew, siblings 7-year-old Joshlyn Johnson and 5-year-old Larry O'Neil, were found in a vehicle that was stopped just after 11 p.m. July 28 on Eastern Boulevard near Wagners Lane in Essex.

Charging documents reveal that Johnson drove around with the body of her niece in her trunk for more than a year, then in May put the little girl's younger brother in her trunk beside her decomposing body.

The Baltimore Sun noted that during the traffic stop, officers discovered Johnson's car had a fake temporary tag and registration. She also had been driving without a license. When the officer issued a citation for Johnson to appear in court and told her that her car would have to be towed, Johnson supposedly told the officer, "It don't matter, I won't be here in five days," and "Y'all going to see me on the news making my big debut."

As soon as the officer cleared out the trunk so the car could be towed, he smelled decomposition coming from plastic bags in the trunk, The Baltimore Sun reported. One body was found in a suitcase, the other inside a plastic tote bag. When the officer found the first body, Johnson tried to run.

She told officers that she was staying at the Regal Inn in Rosedale when she hit Joshlyn several times and the little girl hit her head on the floor. Then Johnson put her body in the suitcase in her car, The Baltimore Sun shared. According to charging documents, Larry told Johnson he was tired, laid down to sleep and never woke up. So she put his body in a tote that she put next to his sister's body in the trunk.

The children belong to Johnson's sister Dachelle Johnson, who she said asked her to look after them in 2019. Dachelle Johnson told police that she had tried to get in contact with her sister since leaving them in her care, but never heard back from her sister. The Baltimore Sun noted that Dachelle Johnson hadn't been able to find her sister or her children until police notified her of their deaths.

Baltimore County Police have charged Johnson with neglect; failure to report the death of the children; disposal of their bodies and child abuse that resulted in the death of the two children. At the time of their death, the 7-year-old weighed 18 pounds and the 5-year-old weighed 21 pounds.

The children's maternal grandmother Michelle Johnson told Fox 45 Baltimore that she was concerned for their safety.

"I called the police department to see if someone could help me. I called [child] protective services," Michelle Johnson said.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore City Department of Social Services Child Protective Services told FOX 45 that information related to phone calls like the one Johnson said she made is confidential but confirmed that the department is looking into the case.

The last time Michelle Johnson saw her grandchildren was December 2019 when her daughters moved from Ohio to Baltimore after the family "got into a spat" regarding the care of the two children, the grandmother told FOX 45.