REOPENED: Queen on the Ozarks

Summary

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Cold Case Files: REOPENED – Queen of the Ozarks

April 23, 2026 | Narrated by Marisa Pinson

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Episode Overview

This episode revisits the tragic, decades-old murder of Jackie Johns—a beloved young woman from Nixa, Missouri, known as the “Queen of the Ozarks” after winning the Sucker Day Festival crown. Detailing the chilling crime, the massive small-town response, the lengthy cold case, and the eventual breakthrough thanks to advancements in DNA technology, the episode explores the emotional toll the case took on Jackie’s family, the local sheriff, and the close-knit rural community. It also serves as a rare example of dogged police work and forensic progress finally delivering long-awaited justice.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to Jackie Johns and Her Community (01:45–04:06)

• Jackie Johns is introduced as a vibrant, outgoing 20-year-old waitress with a big personality, loved by all in the rural town of Nixa, Missouri.

• Sheriff Dwight McNeil recalls:

  • “I thought the world of Jackie Johns. It was an extremely personal case to me. It haunts me to this day…It was the only case in my career that I just never could shake.” (01:08)

• The Sucker Day Festival is described as an essential town tradition, and Jackie’s crowning as its queen is a community highlight:

  • “Jackie was crowned Sucker Day queen...That was a big ordeal to get in the parade. I’ll never forget how beautiful she looked.” (06:57)

2. The Crime: Jackie Goes Missing and the Discovery (04:06–20:17)

• On June 18, 1985, Jackie’s black Camaro is found abandoned; at first, her family assumes she simply ran out of gas or was staying with friends.
• Quickly, it’s clear something is wrong: her car’s interior is a crime scene, with blood, bent seats, and her clothes left behind.
  • “It was clear from the volume of blood that someone had been seriously injured and/or died as a result of the activity in that car.” – Sheriff McNeil (05:18)
• The community mobilizes for a massive search. Sheriff McNeil sets up a command post, and 100s of townspeople help scour the fields and woods for any sign of Jackie.
• Four days later, fishermen find Jackie’s nude body in Springfield Lake, five miles from where her car was found:
  • “After recovering Jackie’s body and getting her out of the lake, I was sick to my stomach. I was mad. I was sad for the family.” – Sheriff McNeil (18:06)
• The autopsy determines Jackie died from blunt force trauma, puncture wounds matching a car jack, and was sexually assaulted. Semen is recovered, which would be critical decades later. (20:17–20:41)

3. Aftermath: Grief, Fear, and the First Investigations (20:53–31:19)

• Jackie's funeral is held at Nixa High’s gym, drawing a heartbreaking turnout.

• The emotional toll shakes the family to its core; survivors recall never feeling safe again:

  • “It changed my life forever. To this day, I feel like if I had gotten to go with her, she’d still be alive.” – Jackie’s friend (19:45)

• Early investigation focuses on those close to Jackie (her boyfriend Cody, friends, coworkers) and on a suspicious customer at her café, but all are eventually eliminated.

• Attention turns to Gerald Carnahan, local businessman’s son, after witnesses place his distinctive vintage truck (white over powder blue Chevrolet Cheyenne) near the convenience store where Jackie was last seen (22:46–23:00).

• Carnahan denies involvement and presents a shaky alibi, which his stepdaughter supports. His own brother claims to have seen his truck near the Johns’ home the night of the murder. Carnahan refuses a polygraph and tries to flee to Asia, but is arrested for evidence tampering (29:03).

• Despite circumstantial evidence, no murder charge sticks:

  • “We were doing everything we could and everything in the book and then some, but we still weren’t able to get it done.” – Sheriff McNeil (30:27)

• The case goes cold. Community fear and grief linger; Sheriff McNeil is haunted by his inability to bring closure.

4. Years Pass: Further Crimes and Forensic Advances (31:19–34:21)

• Eight years after Jackie’s murder, Carnahan is convicted of an attempted kidnapping in Nixa—only serving a short sentence.

• “There was a sense that he considered himself untouchable.” – Local resident (32:10)

• Sheriff McNeil keeps an eye on new forensic tools, holding out hope that the small preserved DNA sample from 1985 could yield new evidence.

5. DNA Breakthrough and Arrest (34:21–39:01)

• In 2007—over two decades later—cold case detective Sergeant Daniel Nash revisits DNA evidence. Despite worries that water had degraded it, the last sample yields a surprisingly complete DNA profile.
  • “The profile from the sperm fraction was nearly complete.” – (35:01)
• The first test rules out Jackie’s boyfriend Cody.
  • “And it’s not Cody. The only suspect left is Gerald Carnahan.” – Sgt. Nash (36:01)
• Homeland Security helps track Carnahan reentering the U.S. Nash and another detective obtain his DNA via a ruse:
  • “We had a search warrant...this is about the Jackie Johns death investigation. And I saw a small little tear right coming down the corner of his eye.” – Sgt. Nash (37:51)
• The DNA is a match; charges are brought in 2010.
  • “I think, like at 5:30 in the morning, my phone rings and I remember Jason saying, ‘We got a match, it’s him.’” – Sgt. Nash (38:24)
  • “It was my birthday. I couldn’t have had a better gift. It felt like someone had lifted a car off of me…there was just a wave of relief that I experienced from that phone call.” – Sheriff McNeil (38:30)
• Carnahan is charged with rape and murder. The Johns family and the community finally see a chance for justice.

6. Trial and Justice at Last (39:01–41:52)

• In a tense, emotional trial, the Johns family waives the death penalty to expedite proceedings, hoping Jackie’s elderly father will live to see justice served.
• “When they called us back in, said the jury has decided, we all piled back into the courtroom…just waited.” – Family member (40:10)
• Carnahan is found guilty of first-degree murder and rape and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole.
  • “It was just so hard to hold back screams. It was elation.” – Family member (40:27)
  • “He got to see it. Thank goodness.” – Friend of Jackie (40:32)
• While justice helps bring some peace, those closest to Jackie say there can never truly be “closure”—only relief that her killer is finally off the streets. The case alters the lives of everyone involved, particularly her friends and the sheriff.

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Memorable Quotes & Emotional Moments

• “It’s not really closure, but I feel like there was justice finally. That’s an awful feeling to think that he got away with murder for 22 years.” – Family member (41:00)
• “I was afraid I was going to die with this one unsolved.” – Sheriff McNeil (41:10)
• “To have your friend ripped out of your life and not have that person there anymore. It was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.” – Friend of Jackie (41:25)
• “If you needed a shoulder to cry on, I mean, her smile—that was probably the best.” – Friend of Jackie (41:39)
• “Every time I cross Springfield Lake, every time I go by the livestock cafe, every time I go by that intersection, I still have thoughts of that case. I always will.” – Sheriff McNeil (41:52)

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Timeline of Key Events

| Timestamp | Event/Discussion Point | |-----------|-----------------------| | 01:08 | Sheriff McNeil reflects on Jackie and the weight of the case | | 06:57 | Jackie is crowned Sucker Day Queen | | 04:06 | Jackie's Camaro found abandoned | | 05:18 | Detailed crime scene description | | 18:06 | Jackie's body found in Springfield Lake | | 20:17 | Cause of death and forensic evidence (semen sample) | | 22:46 | Witnesses note Carnahan’s truck at the scene | | 29:03 | Carnahan arrested for evidence tampering | | 31:54 | Carnahan’s attempted kidnapping of another young woman | | 34:21 | DNA investigation begins anew in 2007 | | 38:24 | “We got a match, it’s him.” – DNA confirms Carnahan killed Jackie | | 39:01 | Carnahan formally charged with rape and murder | | 40:15 | Carnahan found guilty | | 41:10 | Emotional aftermath and thoughts on closure |

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Conclusion: Impact and Lasting Effects

This episode is a powerful meditation on perseverance in criminal investigations, the burden carried by families and police, and the evolution of forensic science. The pain of loss and the triumph of justice are etched into the voices of all who remember Jackie Johns. Though it took more than 22 years, her family and her community finally secured answers—and some measure of peace—through relentless determination and hope.

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End of Summary

Transcript

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[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

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[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

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[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

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[Narrator/Host]

This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I thought the world of Jackie Johns. It was an extremely personal case to me. It haunts me to this day. I had known her for a number of years. She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet. And I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to harm her. It was the only case in my career that I just never could shake. There was a tremendous amount of pressure. The family was desperate for answers. It's something you can't. You can't put into words until you feel that it's your personal responsibility. And I was afraid I was gonna die with this one. Unsolved

[Narrator/Host]

There are 120,000 unsolved murders in America. Each one is a cold case. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. In June of 1985. Jackie Johns has just turned 20 years old and she lives in the tiny town of Nixa, a rural cattle ranching community nestled in the Ozarks in the Midwest. Jackie is just a typical young woman in the prime of her life with a plethora of friends. She's well known in the tight knit community for her friendly, charming and outgoing demeanor which earned her friends with ease. Jackie is very close with her sisters, one of which is Jeannie Johns.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Jackie worked as a waitress in the Nixa Selbourne Cafe. It used to be attached to what we called the Cell barn where they had cattle auctions and so forth.

[Narrator/Host]

One of the regulars at the cafe where Jackie works is Sheriff Dwight McNeil.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

It was a very casual restaurant. That's where I met Jackie years before. She'd been a waitress there for some time. She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet. She was just one of those people. She just exuded beauty and confidence and intelligence. Every time you saw her, there was just something electric about it.

[Narrator/Host]

Jackie's friend Sonja Bodenhammer recalls how the cafe was a popular haunt for the local cowboys.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

A bunch of cowboys. They come in with dirt and cow or horse manure or whatever on their boots, and we would serve them. Jackie always served him with a smile. All of us girls probably flirted at one point. Jackie and me both. I mean, probably more so her.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Jackie would work at the cafe, and her boyfriend Cody actually worked at the Cell bar. He was a very quiet type guy, a few years older, in the process of getting a divorce, but it wasn't final yet, and she just fell head over heels for him.

[Narrator/Host]

At around 6:20am on June 18, 1985, Jackie's abandoned car is found along the highway. Word reaches her sister Jeannie, and she simply assumes that Jackie must have run out of gas.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

I'll never forget that day. My dad called and he says, oh, they found Jackie's car along the highway. And I thought, oh, gosh, that silly girl has run out of gas.

[Narrator/Host]

Jackie's friend Lisa Thompson has another theory.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

I thought she probably had spent the night with someone and. And just left her car over there because that was something she would do. She was really spontaneous about just, oh, I'm going to have fun. I'll just go do this.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

I get a phone call from my friend Dana. She was at the cafe, and she said, is Jackie with you? And I said, no, But I could hear something in her voice, and I'm like, why? What's up? And then she's like, they found her car on 160 and she's not in it. And I lost it. I was just numb.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil receives a phone call that morning from someone reporting the abandoned car. He's just 33 years old and new to the job.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I lived approximately four miles east of there, so I hurriedly dressed and drove directly to where the car was sitting. The interior of the car was clearly a crime scene. There was blood that had spattered about the inside of the vehicle. There were a pair of jeans located that had one leg turned inside out. There were some women's undergarments. The steering wheel was bent. A seat Was bent. It was clear from the volume of blood that someone had been seriously injured and or died as a result of the activity in that car.

[Narrator/Host]

News of the gruesome discovery inside the car spreads through the quiet town, which is typically best known for its annual summer festival called sucker day. Sucker day was just held a few weeks earlier. The summer festival is always a big event in the town. As recalled by Amos bridges, editor in chief of Springfield news leader, Most of

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

the small towns in southwest Missouri have some kind of local festival. I'm not sure how nixa ended up with the suckerfish being sort of the mascot of their festival, but every year, residents in town would spend months catching suckerfish for this big festival. It's a big deal.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

It's just a celebration that's gone on for many years in the nixa community.

[Narrator/Host]

Each sucker day festival has its own queen, and in the early 1980s, Jackie John's wins the crown and leads the parade.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

I was very proud when Jackie was crowned sucker day queen because back then, nixa was so small. That was a big ordeal to get in the parade. I'll never forget how beautiful she looked. She was so happy.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

I remember that day we rode in the back of the convertible and she had her crown and it kept falling off. It was a lot of fun.

[Narrator/Host]

Jackie is cheered on by her three sisters, Joyce, Jean and Janice.

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

The four John's girls were all well known around town. Jackie may have been the most extroverted of them. Just a big personality, just very gregarious.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Jackie was the baby of the family, the only one that was living with mom and dad at that time. We were all out on our own. Jackie was always mom and dad's little baby, and even I protected her every chance I could.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

The first time I met Jackie, we were in second grade. And at recess, she asked me if she could come home with me. And I said, well, I guess you can. And so she rode the bus home with me. And my mother's like, I don't have these two children. So my mother was a little upset with me. But after that, Jackie and I were close friends.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

You hardly ever saw her in a bad mood. And like my dad used to say, jackie was the best. Ann Landers. Anytime somebody had boy problems or something, Jackie would be the one they called to straighten it out.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

Everybody loved Jackie. I don't think anybody ever had a bad word to say about her.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

Jackie and I were cheerleaders together. She would use so much aquanet on her hair. At least one can to two. And I was always Afraid if anybody lit a cigarette or anything that the whole place was gonna blow up. Her hair would just be so firm you couldn't move it.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

There's a picture I have of her and I mean, you can see the wings. They're just, you know, the 80s hair. And this all flowed perfectly.

[Narrator/Host]

In the summer of 1985, Jackie buys her first car. And it makes quite an impression on the streets of Nixa. It's a black Camaro with all red seats. It has a spoiler on the back and some fancy tires. Jackie was in love with it and took pride in driving it all across town.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

Everybody in town knew it was her car. It had Jackie on it, the vanity plates, and she loved that car.

[Narrator/Host]

It's that black Camaro that Sheriff Dwight McNeil finds by the side of Highway 160 early that summer morning.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Once I was on scene, I requested assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Whatever happened inside that car was a very violent act. I was fearful that there might actually be a body in the trunk of the car. But there was also the possibility that Jackie might have been still alive.

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Jackie John's vehicle had been found alongside US160. I was very desperate to find out where she was. After examining the interior of the car, we opened the trunk. There was no body. There was a bumper jack lying loose in the floor of the trunk which had a substantial amount of blood on the lug of the jack. I was very concerned about where she was and what condition she might be in. I also felt a tremendous amount of pressure to locate her for the sake of her family. In June of 1985, I'd been the sheriff for a little over five months. You were trained never to become personally involved in these types of cases, but there was no escaping that for me because I had known her for so many years. The whole family was just good people.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil begins his investigation by interviewing all of Jackie's friends and co workers to try and piece together her movements on the previous evening.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

On that night of the 17th of June, it was busy, super busy. So you don't get much interaction because you're just constantly cleaning tables or, you know, whatever.

[Narrator/Host]

In the middle of her shift, Jackie leaves the cafe and goes next door to the sale barn.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

For some reason she went to the cattle side to look for Dana, her girlfriend. And that was very unusual. She hardly ever went over there. We still can't figure out why Jackie was looking for Dana that night. That's mystery that we can't figure out.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

But then her boyfriend showed up close to the end of shift. She was outside talking to him and I was sweeping and Mopping, little irritated because, you know, she usually helps. And I come out the door that night and she hollered at me. She goes, are you done? And I'm like, yeah. And she goes, okay, I'll see you tomorrow.

[Narrator/Host]

Jackie's sister Jeannie last saw her younger sibling just three days prior to her going missing.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Her and a friend of hers came over to my apartment and she seemed in great spirits. But Jackie shared with some of her friends that she felt like she was being watched. She did not want to be by herself anymore. You know, she didn't want to stay by herself at mom and Dad's. She wanted somebody there all the time. For some reason, Jackie was scared.

[Narrator/Host]

On that fateful night, Jackie says goodbye to her boyfriend and co workers and she leaves the cafe alone. On her way back home, she stops at 7:11.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

One of the items of evidence that we located in the car was a receipt, which gave us a timeline of exactly when she arrived at the convenience store. She was her normal self. According to the cashier, he saw no sign of distress. He was under the impression she was leaving there and heading home, which was probably only five minutes away.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil calls on the citizens of Nixa to assist in the search for Jackie. Like most of the Ozarks, the town is surrounded by sprawling, sparsely populated farmland.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We actually set up a command post in the parking lot of the Sale Barn Cafe. There were people on horseback, ATVs, motorcycles. We prepared a grid map expanding out from her car.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

It was just, oh, hundreds and hundreds of people. It was just amazing. I think everybody. Nixon was just in shock. My mom and dad, they were just devastated.

[Narrator/Host]

Each day, Sonia would travel to Jackie's parents home, where she and Jackie's siblings would try to think of all the places that Jackie liked to go.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

I think everybody was just in a daze. I mean, you want to find Jackie, but you don't want to find her, if that makes sense.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

I just didn't feel like she was gone. I never gave up hope. I kept thinking she was alive.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

I don't recall sleeping for five days. It was just so tiring. And that was hard. That was really hard.

[Narrator/Host]

As the search for Jackie continues, Sheriff McNeil interviews her boyfriend, Cody.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Cody is one of the last people to see her before she arrived at the convenience store. So that was extremely important to get him eliminated as a suspect as quickly as possible.

[Narrator/Host]

Cody tells investigators that he was home when Jackie went missing, but he has few other details to offer.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

He's a tough guy. He's a cowboy and ranch hand. And not the kind of guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve. There was no one to corroborate his alibi, but no one had anything to say about. Cody wasn't a violent type of person, a jealous type of person.

[Narrator/Host]

Four days after Jackie disappears, her parents receive a phone call that confirms their very worst fears.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

I was actually at my mom and dad's house, and the phone rang, and it was one of my dad's friends. They were camping down the lake, Springfield, and he called to say they found the body.

[Narrator/Host]

Two fishermen had come across a body floating in Springfield lake, around five miles north of where Jackie's car was found. It was the body of a nude woman, but there was no question as to who it was.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

After recovering Jackie's body and getting her out of the lake, I was sick to my stomach. I was mad. I was sad for the family. It would be hard to put into words all of the emotions that I felt that day on that boat ramp. You feel that it's your personal responsibility as the sheriff of that very small department in 1985 had five deputy sheriffs to cover 600 square miles. To say that we were understaffed and we were short of restock is not an exaggeration. I had to make a trip up to see Les and Shirley Johns to tell them we had located their daughter. That was one of the worst experiences you can have as a law enforcement officer. When you know the people, when you know them on a personal level, it makes it twice as hard.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

The officers, you could tell they were just as devastated as the rest of us, and you could tell it really took a toll on them. Dwight knew Jackie personally, so that was what was really even more devastating for her. They didn't want us to see her body. They had cut off Jackie's rings, and that's how I identified her. I definitely recognized the rings because one of them I had given to Jackie for her birthday a week and a half before she was killed.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

A lot of tears, anger. It was just. It was devastating. She's gone forever. Thinking about Jackie in her final moments, I can't even fathom I know her, that she probably fought like hell.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

After Jackie was murdered. Our family was just never the same. It was just awful.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

And it was hard to deal with the fact that somebody was out there killed your best friend. I wasn't a carefree kid anymore. I was scared of my own shadow for my whole perspective on life. The day they found her in the lake, it was a day. It changed my life forever. To this day, I feel like if I had gotten to go with her, she'd still be alive.

[Narrator/Host]

Jackie's body is transported to the medical examiner's office for a cause of death to be determined. The autopsy finds that she had died as a result of blunt force trauma. There was also evidence that Jackie had been raped. The pathologist also finds puncture wounds that are consistent with the lugs on the face of her bumper jack that were found in the trunk.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We were also able to recover a semen sample, which was fortunate considering the length of time that she'd been in the lake.

[Narrator/Host]

Four days after Jackie's body is found, her family lays her to rest. Most of the town of Nixa turns out to bid her one final farewell.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

Nixa high school allowed them to have the funeral at the gymnasium there. It was standing room only. It's kind of like a blur to me. My dad preached part of the funeral, and he said, sonia, please, if I see you crying, I won't be able to get through this. And so I stayed stoic for my father.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We videotaped people coming and going to see if someone appeared that we perhaps should be considering as a suspect. It just seemed like one of the few things that we had available to us at the time. There were a lot of people there, but we did not see anyone that looked out of place. We interviewed other employees from the sale barn cafe as well as the folks who regularly frequented that restaurant. Multiple officers were conducting multiple interviews all day, every day.

[Narrator/Host]

Almost immediately, one regular customer at the cafe stands out. Investigators learn of someone who was acting strange at the cafe around Jackie on one or more occasions.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Jackie kind of was getting creeped out about this guy. He was a little off, but he would bring her flowers, he would bring her candy.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

He was the only person with any type of unusual activity at the time that jumped out as someone we probably needed to make contact with as quickly as possible. But as it turned out, he was alibi'd. He was in another jail in the area, and we were able to eliminate him as a suspect.

[Narrator/Host]

Desperate for any kind of lead, Sheriff McNeil sets up a hotline for tips on the case, hoping that somebody in the small town saw something suspicious that night. It doesn't take long before a tip comes in.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Two men who were purchasing fuel on that night at the convenience store had seen a very distinctive pickup truck backed into a bank parking lot directly across the street from the convenience store. It was white over powder blue. It was the 60s model Chevrolet Cheyenne. And this particular truck had custom aftermarket wheels on it it. The odds of there being two trucks that looked like that in southwest Missouri at that time were very, very remote.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We're coming at you with everything we got.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This is the mindset.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Free. This is the mantra.

[Narrator/Host]

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[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

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[Narrator/Host]

Pain ever. Sheriff McNeil hopes that he's finally caught a break in the murder case. Other witnesses spotted a distinctive vintage truck across the street from the crime scene. Sheriff McNeil believes that the truck belongs to Gerald Carnahan, the son of a prominent Nixa businessman.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Everyone in Nixa is pretty familiar with the Carnahan family. Gerald's father had been involved in a number of successful ventures, including the foundry that was located just about a mile south of the Sale Barn Cafe. Gerald Carnahan was a very clean cut, professional looking fellow and came into the office for his interview as cool as he could be, but professing that he would do anything he could to help the investigation. He knew Jackie. He admitted that in the interview from the Sale Barn Cafe. And we said we have witnesses who placed Gerald's truck at the scene where Jackie was last seen. He denied that and stated that he was at home.

[Narrator/Host]

Carnahan's alibi is his 19 year old stepdaughter. Investigators make contact with the stepdaughter and she tells them that she and Carnahan had been out for dinner on the evening Jackie vanished. It was her story that when they returned home, Carnahan stayed home all night. This alibi was inconsistent with the eyewitnesses who had seen his truck at the convenience store. Carnahan also tells investigators that Jackie had briefly worked for his family's business.

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

She quit. There were allegations that Gerald had hit on her while she worked there and then continued pursuing her after she left.

[Narrator/Host]

As investigators are working on this angle, another tip comes in about the distinctive truck.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

And that witness turned out to be Gerald Carnahan's brother. If you drive straight across Highway 160 from the convenience store, the road makes a sweeping curve. At that time, there was a large hay field on the right just west of Gerald's parents home and Jackie John's home. And he saw Gerald's truck parked in that field at that intersection.

[Narrator/Host]

Carnahan's brother tells investigators that he asked him not to share this information with police.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We asked Gerald to take a polygraph examination, which he agreed to do. But the following day, at the appointed time, he failed to show up.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil now has deep suspicions about Carnahan's alibis, with no fewer than three witnesses saying his truck was near the crime scene that night. But still, the sheriff has no solid proof connecting Carnahan to Jackie's murder. He knows he can't go to prosecutor Darrell Moore with only suspicions.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

You had no direct evidence of any kind, either forensic evidence or witnesses that actually put Gerald with Jackie that night. Suspicion would have been all you had.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil can only bide his time and hope that he can gather more evidence. But then he learns that Carnahan is about to leave the country to travel to Asia to work in a family owned factory.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We became very desperate to keep him from getting on that plane to an Asian country. Because beyond our extradition treaties,

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil asks prosecutors to charge Carnahan with tampering with evidence by pressuring his stepdaughter to give him an alibi.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Lying to a police officer, unlike a federal officer, is not a crime. We asked for and received the warrant for tampering or manufacturing false evidence in a criminal case. It was a stretch, but it was all we had at the time. And as a result of getting the warrant, we were able to intercept him as he literally got on the plane at Los Angeles, and the FBI took him into custody and took him off the plane.

[Narrator/Host]

Authorities in Nixa convene a grand jury with sweeping powers to look into the entire Jackie Johns case.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

It was our hope that it might buy us some more time to gather some more physical evidence. It would also put us in a position to interview him one more time.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

When Sheriff McNeill and the investigators talked to Gerald Carnahan again, he still said he was home by 10 o'. Clock. He said, I know I was home by 10 o'. Clock. 10 o' clock news was going, and I never left again. I went up and went to bed.

[Narrator/Host]

The grand jury sends Carnahan to trial on the tampering charge based on the highly questionable alibi he gave police. There's still no murder charge, but for the family, it's a step in the right direction. But then the family is hit with a massive blow when the judge throws out the charge for lack of physical evidence.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We were doing everything we could and everything in the book and then some, but we still weren't able to get it done.

[Narrator/Host]

With the charge dismissed and no more leads, the case begins to go cold.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

It remained a cold case. It kind of fell off the radar.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

The family looked at me as a total failure. That added to the pressure, the fact that the family was personally angry with me. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that so personally, but it was the only homicide that I ever worked while I was in law enforcement that I couldn't shake. You're trained not to do that, but there was no way I could get away from that one. No way.

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

I was born in Springfield, grew up there and in Nixa, so heard a lot about the Jackie Johns case as I was growing up. It was kind of unavoidable. I think this case haunted a lot of people.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

It changed the way that I raised my kids. I have a daughter, she's 21 now. When she would think we were being too strict on her or something with her curfew, you know, I'd say I can go through that again, you know, if something were to happen to you.

[Narrator/Host]

The months gradually transform into years, and Jackie's family is trying hard to pick up the pieces of their old life and move on. Then In March of 1993, the small town of Nixa is rocked by another crime that brings back memories of Jackie's murder eight years earlier.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

A young woman, I think she was around 18, was walking down the street when Gerald Carnahan pulls up next to her and attempts to kidnap her. And she managed to get away, but he is apprehended.

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

It was really bizarre because, you know, if you're Gerald Carnahan, you know everyone in town knows who you are. And he attempts to kidnap an 18 year old in a part of town that was not at all secluded. And he wasn't even alone. A friend of his was driving the car. So it was really a strange situation. There was a sense that he considered himself untouchable.

[Narrator/Host]

Carnahan is convicted of the attempted kidnapping, but he only receives a two year prison sentence. And when he gets out of prison, he continues to find himself in shocking situations. While out on bond, police respond to an alarm at his home. When police arrive, Carnahan keeps officers at bay with a fully loaded shotgun. He's charged with assaulting an officer and using a gun while drunk and is slapped with an additional 15 month sentence.

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

By the late 90s, Jackie's case wasn't on the nightly news. And in some ways, people had moved on.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I never lost hope. I always felt like that it was solvable. We just needed a break. Looking back, it was the most thoroughly investigated case in the history of Christian county at that point, and perhaps even still today. But we just did not have that last piece of science to help us close the deal.

[Narrator/Host]

Sheriff McNeil's term had ended back in 1988, just three years after Jackie's murder. But he keeps track of developments in DNA technology as the years pass.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I had discussed DNA profiling with the Springfield Police Department a few years earlier, and it was decided that we would not attempt to make a DNA comparison because there was a chance that we might wind up destroying the small sample that we had.

[Narrator/Host]

By 2007, it had been 22 years since Jackie was killed. Sergeant Daniel Nash, the new cold case detective at the Missouri Highway Patrol, picks up the baton.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

DNA is becoming more mainstream now and we can do a lot more than we could. But because the swab had been in the water for multiple days, it was a big concern that that may be for naught, but we decided to do it anyway.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

With just one little sample left, there was no telling what was going to happen.

[Narrator/Host]

Miraculously, enough of the sample has survived. Jason Wyckoff, a DNA criminalist at the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime laboratory, examines the sample.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

The samples did show degradation, but sperm

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

cells are one of the most resistant

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

cells in the body to breaking open

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

and releasing their DNA. Their job is to get through to the egg to fertilize it through a harsh environment. So the profile from the sperm fraction was nearly complete.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

It's August of 2007. I remember distinctly Dan Nash informs me that the lab has actually finally been able to develop a DNA profile.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

I immediately thought, oh, my, that's awesome. That's great. We have this DNA, but now who do we match it to? I immediately thought it's probably going to be the boyfriend. I mean, in any kind of crime of violence like this, the statistics are very, very clear that usually it's someone that you know that harms you.

[Narrator/Host]

Although Jackie's boyfriend, Cody, was never considered a serious suspect, investigators back in 1985 didn't have the tools to rule him out with complete certainty.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

Cody was very helpful, very cooperative. We took a buccal swab out of the inside of his mouth, and we sent that to the crime lab, comes back, and. And it's not Cody. The only suspect left is Gerald Carnahan. So at this point, we start trying to get a search warrant to get a DNA sample from Mr. Carnahan himself.

[Narrator/Host]

But Carnahan is out of the country, and investigators don't know when or if he's coming back. Investigators finally have DNA evidence that could solve Jackie's murder, but their prime suspect is overseas, well beyond the reach of the law.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

We basically started working with Homeland Security to notify us when Mr. Carnahan would. Would come back to the United states. And probably six or seven months after that, we get a call that says Mr. Carnahan is on a flight and he's landing in New York, and then he's going to be traveling to Springfield. We were concerned that he would not be cooperative, so we came up with a ruse that myself and another investigator went into the office of the company, and we told the receptionist lady that we were high school friends with Mr. Carnahan and that we were planning a reunion. We sat down, and he says, I don't think I remember you guys from school. What was your names again? What's this all about? And then that's when we told him that we had a search warrant for his DNA. And we said, this is about the Jackie Johns death investigation. And I saw a small little tear right coming down the corner of his eye.

[Narrator/Host]

Sergeant Nash collects the DNA swab and rushes it by plane to the state's main crime lab in Jefferson City. There's a sense of urgency among the investigators due to the fact that Carnahan made frequent trips to China.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

The crime lab person, Jason Wykoff, is gonna basically Stay at the crime lab all night and work on this because we wanna get this back immediately.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I began the initial steps of the

[Local Resident/Community Member (possibly Amos Bridges)]

processing, basically extracting the sample and I was able to get the results by the next day.

[Sergeant Daniel Nash]

I think like at 5:30 in the morning, my phone rings and I remember Jason saying, we got a match, it's him.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

And it was a great day. It was August 10th. It was my birthday. I couldn't have had a better gift. It felt like someone had lifted a car off of, of me. There was just a wave of relief that I experienced from that phone call. That's hard to describe.

[Narrator/Host]

On September 13, 2010, prosecutor Darrell Moore charges Carnahan with the rape and murder of Jackie Johns.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

When they brought him in in handcuffs, yeah, that was a total. Relieved. Finally he's getting his justice, you know, right here. And I don't know, I. Lot of anger, a lot of anger. Just, I just couldn't hardly stand to look at him.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

There was a lot of anxiety in the courtroom. It was tense because we got into some very graphic testimony regarding the cause of death and the autopsy. And that was difficult for her family to see and listen to.

[Narrator/Host]

The family agrees to waive the death penalty to shorten the trial in the hopes that Jackie's ailing 83 year old father will live long enough to finally see justice served.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

My dad didn't feel like he was up to going up to the trial, so we just call him and update him all the time. The whole two weeks of the trial was so hard to rest. It was awful. So when they called us back in, said the jury has decided, we all piled back into the courtroom and just sit there and held hands and just waited.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

I thought finally he was going to pay for what he did to her.

[Prosecutor Darrell Moore]

And then the judge read the verdict. He's guilty of first degree murder. He's guilty of rape. Even though the judge instructs everybody in the courtroom remain composed, don't react. You can imagine the family reacted.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

It was just so hard to hold back screams. It was elation.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

I was at her dad's house. Tears, tears of joy. I mean relief. He got to see it. Thank goodness.

[Narrator/Host]

The jury sentences Gerald Carnahan to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

It's not really closure, but I feel like there was justice finally. That's an awful feeling to think that he got away with murder for 22 years.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

I would be less than honest if I didn't say there was an element of personal satisfaction. Because every police officer has one that they carry with them to the grave. And I was afraid I was going to die with this one unsolved.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Lisa Thompson)]

It's really hard to talk about her. To have your friend ripped out of your life and not have that person there anymore. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever gone through. So it was very hard.

[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

What I miss most about Jackie, her friendship was always there. If you needed a shoulder to cry on, I mean, her smile, that was probably the best.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Every time I cross Springfield Lake, every time I go by the livestock cafe, every time I go by that intersection, I still have thoughts of that case. I always will. I don't think there's any getting away from it. And I'm so thankful that we. That we were finally able to resolve that. But I'm just glad it's finally closed.

[Narrator/Host]

Cold Case Files is hosted by Paula Barros. It's produced by the Law and Crime Network and written by Eileen McFarlane and Emily G. Thompson. Our composer is Blake Maples. For A and E, our senior producer is John Thrasher, and our supervising producer is McKamey Lin. Our executive producers are Jesse Katz, Maite Cueva and Peter Tarshis. This podcast is based on AE's Emmy winning TV series, Cold Case Files. For more Cold case files, visit aetv.com.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and TV shows.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We're coming at you with everything we got.

[Narrator/Host]

This is the mindset.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Free.

[Narrator/Host]

This is.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

This is the mantra.

[Narrator/Host]

Free. This is the

[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Friend of Jackie Johns (possibly Sonja Bodenhammer)]

Huzzah.

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

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[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

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[Narrator/Advertiser]

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Oh, no.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

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[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

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[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Together we're married.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When his son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

It was 5k to pay the bill

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

for my son and I need only 22 hours.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

It was amazing.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

People really trust on GoFundMe.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

How did Juan raise $5,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe telling his story in 30 seconds.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

30 seconds.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

Be specific.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Be quick and tell. What are you gonna be using the funds for? I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money.

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

But you shouldn't be nervous.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

Sometimes you just have to do it

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

and see the results.

[Sheriff Dwight McNeil]

We were able to save my son's

[Family Member of Jackie Johns]

life thanks to gofundme that we still have my son with us.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com this message reflects one person's experience.