$6,000 reward for answers on Reeves Johnson III, Kittery man missing since 1983

KITTERY, Maine — The family of Reeves Johnson III, who went missing in 1983, hope the new offer of a $6,000 reward will lead to answers and closure.

The reward was announced by Police Chief Robert Richter during a special event Saturday at Star Theatre.

Kristen Seavey, host of the "Murder, She Told" podcast, told the story of Johnson's disappearance as his sister Sally Swartz and brother Hugh Johnson listened from the audience. They joined Seavey, Richter, and Kittery police detective Brian Cummer in a panel discussion, later opened for questions from the audience, facilitated by the podcast's producer Byron Willis.

Previous story: Where is Reeves Johnson III? Family, police seek clues in Kittery man's 1983 disappearance

The missing man's parents, Kemp and Barbara Johnson are deceased.

Community members were invited to share flyers that were provided, to talk with friends, with family and to hopefully find information about what happened to Reeves Johnson.

After he announced the reward, Richter told a story about a cold case in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where a 17-year-old girl went missing in 1982.

"Seventeen-year-old Judith Chartier's car was found by divers in the Concord River, 40 years later," Richter said. "Her remains were inside. Her parents never got closure, and I don't want that to happen to this family. Someone knows something that can help."

Police urge community speak up about Reeves Johnson

"Who was his girlfriend; did she have a son?" Richter asked. "He went to Newsom's Market on a daily basis. He worked at Donnelly Manufacturing (in Exeter, New Hampshire). Please come forward, if not for the reward, then for the family."

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Richter said Cummer has been the driving force behind reopening the cold case.

Cummer said the case is as important to him as any case because Johnson is still missing and because he is a victim.

Johnson, born in 1951, had moved to Kittery in 1977. In 1983, he stopped showing up for work, his family couldn't contact him, his car, a red VW bug was abandoned in a repair shop, and he appeared to simply vanish.

At the time of his disappearance, Johnson, with brown eyes and curly brown hair cut just below his ears, was said to have stood 5 feet 7 inches, weighed 130 pounds and was sporting a full beard. Johnson sometimes wore wire-rimmed glasses for his near-sightedness, but typically wore contact lenses instead.

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His contact lenses were found in a cabin he had been living in at Jewett's Court in Kittery.

Forensics in the 1980s were not what they are today, and Cummer said that if they were, this case would have been investigated very differently. The car was never processed as a crime scene, there were no composite sketches done on potential suspects,  persons who might be witnesses are now deceased or can't be found, and things fell through the cracks that are part of routine investigations today, he said.

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Cummer hopes to make up for that with the reopened investigation.

Richter said Seavey and Willis and their investigative team have been great to work with, and he credited them with digging up a lot of interesting hints.

Podcast host helps get word out

Seavey began Saturday's event by recreating the "Murder, She Told" podcast episode she did about the Johnson case. She reviewed the information they put together on the case, interspersed with memories from his brother and sister, who talked about growing up, about their family up to the moment Reeves went missing. She showed a slide of the only real clue, an unidentified man who allegedly went to Reeves' post office box to steal his mail, possibly knowing there was Johnson's last check inside. The photo was snapped by his mother, who staked out the box, but he blocked the picture with his hand.

Swartz talked about health issues with her brother. She said he had hypoglycemia, but it was not properly diagnosed. She said doctors thought he was on drugs, which she said he never used. Others said he had psychosis or schizophrenia, because his low blood sugar symptoms mimicked the conditions.

"This brings back a lot of hard memories, but it's nice to talk about him again," Swartz said. "It brings back the guy we knew; we had him back for a few days. We strongly believe that if he was going off the grid, he would have told us, told our parents. He had a high sense of honor. Everything about this is out of character for him."

Kittery police encourage anyone who has information to call the department at (207) 439-1638, or email Cummer at bcummer@kitterypolice.com.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery ME: Reeves Johnson III cold case now has $6,000 reward offer