COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (WRIC) — The body of 19-year-old Marcus James Johnson was first found in Colonial Heights in December 2022, his family now says his death certificate indicates he was shot multiple times.
Johnson, 19, of the 2100 block of Esquire Road in Chesterfield, was reported missing by his family on Nov. 27, 2022, after being last seen around 6 .m. on Nov. 17. His body was found on Dec. 21 near the woodline of the 1300 block of Yacht Basin Drive in Colonial Heights. However, it wasn’t until Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, that the body was confirmed to be Johnson’s.
Phyllis Hudson, Johnson’s aunt, shared the 19-year-old’s birth certificate with 8News, revealing that he had been shot multiple times before his body was abandoned on Yacht Basin Drive.
“And I just said ‘What? I can’t believe it,'” Hudson said. “I’m still puzzled. I don’t know why somebody would do that to him.”
On Jan. 23, in an effort to solve the case, the Colonial Heights Police Department released photos of the clothes Johnson was last seen in — including, blue jeans, a white puffer jacket, a red cap and Nike toon squad sneakers — on Nov. 17.
“I was with him when he bought that jacket,” Hudson said. “He was so happy to go shopping with me.”
Earlier this month, 8News spoke with the man who discovered Johnson’s body, Tommy Douglas, who said he wasn’t surprised when he first saw the plastic tarp nestled in the woods across the street from his home. He said it’s not uncommon for people to toss beer bottles, cans, or pieces of trash along the side of the road.
“I wish I had come over sooner because I had seen it probably a couple of weeks early,” Douglas said.
Hudson now says she wants to see the person who did this to her nephew held accountable.
“You have to face God with what took place with Marcus,” she said. “Marcus didn’t deserve to die like that. He was a good kid. I pray that justice would be done.”
The family is in the process of planning Johnson’s funeral. Colonial Heights Police Department is continuing to investigate.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact Senior Detective C. Velasquez at 804-520-9329.
