When a Missouri honor student decides to follow in her father’s footsteps by joining the Army after highschool, she’s soon deployed to Iraq, where her life ends under unthinkable circumstances. After receiving contradictory information regarding his daughter’s death, her father—a doctor of behavioral psychology—attempts to piece together what really happened in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

If you have any information about the death of LaVena Johnson, please call report your tip to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. You can submit a tip online at: https://www.cid.army.mil/Submit-a-Tip/

 

Also, in light of the subjects we’ve discussed in this episode, there are two resources we want to make sure you’re aware of: The National Sexual Assault Hotline, which can be reached at 1-800-656-4673, and the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, which can be reached by dialing 988. Both of these resources are available 24/7—you’re never alone. So please, if you’re struggling with trauma related to sexual assault, or suicidal thoughts—give them a call.

 

See photos from this episode and check out the sources we used to research it here: 

https://lastseenalivepodcast.com/2023/07/17/unsolved-suspicious-death-lavena-johnson/