SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, South Carolina –
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, South Carolina -- On Oct. 30, local authorities, working closely with Special Agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (Army CID) identified remains found in Hopkins, S.C., earlier this year as those of a U.S. Army Central Soldier who went missing in December 2015.
Sgt. 1st Class Johnnie Johnson was originally declared absent without leave (AWOL) in December 2015, and the unit changed his status to deserter in early 2016. The Army rescinded those statuses when CID declared his death occurred less than 24 hours after Johnson was originally reported missing.
Johnson, of Canton, Miss., entered active-duty service in June 1998, as a Petroleum Supply Specialist. He was assigned to U.S. Army Central at Shaw Air Force Base in November 2014.
He completed five combat tours in the Middle East and one overseas service tour in Korea.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal and other military achievements.
U.S. Army Central sends condolences to Sgt. 1st Class Johnson's family and will work closely with Army CID to complete the investigation of his death.
"We want to thank the Richland County Sheriff's Department for their hard work and professionalism during the course of this investigation," said Chris Grey, spokesman for Army CID. "At this point in the investigation, we do not believe foul play was involved."