June 16, 2015
The Richmond Police Department has identified a body found last week in the city as that of Katasha Johnson, a woman who went missing earlier this month. She had been murdered.
At approximately 9:22 a.m., Friday,
June 12, 2015 RPD officers were called to a wooded area in the 2200 block of
Jennie Sher Road by construction workers who discovered what was later
determined to be human remains.
An autopsy conducted yesterday
positively identified the body as that of Johnson. The cause of death is
homicide.
Johnson, 26, of the 1300 block of
Jennie Scher Road was last seen the morning of June 3, 2015 when she dropped
off her daughter at a day care center on the city’s north side. She then failed
to show up for work.
Detectives have developed a person
of interest in the case, David L. Rios, an acquaintance of Johnson’s. Rios, 38,
of the 1300 block of Jennie Scher Road has been held in the Richmond Justice
Center since June 8, 2015 on three counts of simple assault and battery. Those
counts are unrelated to Johnson’s disappearance and murder.
Anyone with information about this
case is asked to call Major Crimes Detective William Brereton at (804) 317-3889
or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000. Citizens can also text Crime Stoppers at
274637, using the key word “ITip” followed by your tip. Both Crime Stoppers
methods are anonymous.
David Rios
