Aja Johnson -- Found Deceased 3/29/10

The OSBI should have taken all the help they could get. I also believe that they should have done aerial searches over all areas that Hobbs was known to have lived in the past.

What if it was their own child or grandchild? Wouldn't they plead for FBI assistance as well from the start? I would like to think that the FBI would be able to take precedence when it comes to a life in danger, especially a missing child. I assumed the FBI was involved from the start, wrongly so on my part.

You know, it appears that so many of these abducters, rapists and murderers return to familiar turf with their carnage.....Casey Anthony is a perfect example. Hobbs' family has stated he spent time out there, his parents were buried less than a mile away from where his car was found.

Cause of death remains unclear for Aja Johnson


By RON JACKSON Newsok.com
Published: 4/3/2010 8:31 AM





A "plain kitchen knife” and ligatures possibly used to tie up 7-year-old Aja Johnson were found at the apparent murder-suicide scene in Norman this week, an investigator said Friday. But the cause and manner of Aja’s death and that of her suspected killer, Lester William Hobbs, continue to elude state medical examiners.

"We still don’t know how she was killed,” said Timothy Dwyer, a chief investigator of the state medical examiner’s office who processed the crime scene in the woods southeast of Norman after the car and bodies were found Monday. "There was an extreme amount of animal activity, but still we saw no obvious bullet entry or evidence of blunt force trauma.”
Dwyer said the investigation indicated Aja may have been tied up at one point based on cut ligatures found inside the 1992 Toyota Paseo.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20100403_298_0_Aplain214837

Slain 7-year-old's father questions OSBI investigation

By RON JACKSON The Oklahoman
Last Modified: 4/6/2010 2:23 AM

OKLAHOMA CITY — The father of 7-year-old Aja Johnson is questioning whether the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation did enough to find his daughter, and a state lawmaker is calling for scrutiny of the agency's investigation.

"In my heart, I'd like to believe OSBI did everything within its powers to find her," J.J. Johnson of Oklahoma City said. "Now I wonder."

Doubts crept into Johnson's mind last week after he learned that the OSBI declined the assistance of the FBI's Child Abduction Response Team.

A local landowner found the decomposing bodies of Aja and her abductor, Lester William Hobbs, on March 29 in the woods southeast of Norman.

"Why would a unit as specialized as that be turned down?" Johnson asked. "I would think that would have been a great help. Is this about ego?"

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100406_12_A12_OLHMIY637730&rss_lnk=1

I'm glad he's questioning these actions. It certainly won't change what happened to Aja, but maybe it will help another child that happens to go missing in OK.

Tonya LeAnn Hobbs' autopsy indicates multiple stabbings


By RON JACKSON NewsOK.com
Published: 4/6/2010 6:35 AM
Last Modified: 4/6/2010 6:35 AM

Tonya LeAnn Hobbs died a brutal, painful death, her autopsy indicates.

An autopsy report released Monday by the state medical examiner’s office tells the story of her final moments, showing that she was stabbed in the abdomen and neck and beat about the head with a heavy instrument — one an examiner described as possibly "a round-headed hammer” and "claw-like.”

Investigators think she was killed Jan. 24 by her estranged husband, Lester Williams Hobbs. His decomposing body — along with that of Tonya’s 7-year-old daughter, Aja Johnson — was found last week in the woods southeast of Norman.

"Poor Tonya,” said J.J. Johnson, Tonya’s former husband and Aja’s father. "Lester really beat the hell out of her … and my little girl was probably right there to see it all.


http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100406_11_0_TonyaL729070&rss_lnk=1

Here' yet another version. Sickening tattoo mentioned.

M.E.'s first report on Johnson, Hobbs
Russell Carter Reporting KFOR
7:16 PM CDT, April 5, 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Nearly a week after investigators discovered the bodies of Aja Johnson and Lester Hobbs in a wooded area in Norman, the State Medical Examiners Office released a preliminary report late Monday afternoon. According to the autopsy, Aja's face was black and mummified also her jaw and neck were partially skeletonized.

The M.E.'s office also found four or five cuts on the left side of her neck, but did not find cut marks on her clothes which were covered in leaves.

The report also shows that several parts of Aja's body were missing from the crime scene including her left hand, lower right leg and right foot.

Investigators also say that Lester Hobbs' body was starting to mummify and an infestation of mold had started to grow around his face.

Although his body was starting to decompose, officials could still read a tattoo on his chest which read, "Hobbs I love you TF," with a heart around it.

They also found a yellow metal ring on his left hand.

Despite their findings, a cause of death has not been determined for Lester Hobbs or Aja Johnson.

Family and friends are now planning a memorial service for Aja Johnson that will be held later on this week.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-med-exam-1-report-johnson-hobbs-story,0,5402048.story

for Aja........

Aja Johnson's Funeral Is Today In Oklahoma City
Posted: Apr 07, 2010 7:34 AM EDT
Updated: Apr 07, 2010 10:28 AM EDT


OKLAHOMA CITY -- A seven-year old Oklahoma girl will be laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon. Friends and family will gather to say their final goodbyes to Aja Johnson.

Johnson's funeral will be at the Vondell-Smith Funeral Home in southwest Oklahoma City at 1:30 p.m.

Johnson's body was found near Lake Thunderbird near Norman last week.

She disappeared in January, along with her mother's ex-husband, Lester Hobbs.

The state Medical Examiner's office is still trying to determine the exact cause of her death.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12268598

Aja Johnson fondly remembered

Russell Carter Reporting | KFOR
5:31 PM CDT, April 7, 2010

 

OKLAHOMA CITY -- With friends and family by his side J.J. Johnson slowly walked towards his daughter Aja who was surrounded by teddy bears and an American flag. The 7-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by her stepfather, Lester Hobbs, in January. Her mother Tonya, also a victim of murder.

"We can't possibly feel what you're feeling unless we have went through it ourselves but I want to tell you something, all of us are feeling something that we didn't feel until Aja came into our lives," said Pastor John Steiger.

During Wednesday's service countless mourners broke into tears and mothers clung to their children a little tighter as Aja's aunt and niece read poems from their heart.

"Just think of her for resting from the sorrows and the tears and in place of warmth and comfort where there are now days in years," Jeannie Loughridge

"God looked around his garden and saw an empty space then he looked down on earth and saw your loving face, he put his arms around you and lifted you to rest and his garden must be beautiful because he only picks the best," said Aja's niece Jada Evans

After listening to so many kind words and thanking each guest for coming, Johnson finally said goodbye to his little girl with a kiss and knows she's in a better place.

"I know everybody wanted it to come out another way and unfortunately it didn't, but I can tell you right now she would want to thank you. If she was here right now, she would thank you for doing what you tried to do for her," said Johnson.

Although OSBI has come under fire in recent days for not solving this case, Johnson believes they worked hard to find his daughter.

The Medical Examiner's office has not released a cause of death for Aja Johnson or Lester Hobbs.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-aja-johnson-funeral-story,0,4891619.story

Knives, rope found in car where girl’s body found

By Murray Evans
The Associated Press
April 9, 2010

NORMAN — Authorities found three sections of rope and two knives in a car where the bodies of a missing 7-year girl and her stepfather were found, according to court documents made public Friday.

In a search warrant returned to the Cleveland County court clerk’s office, Norman police listed 15 items found in a search of the Toyota Paseo discovered March 29 in a rural, wooded area of Norman.

Other items found in the car included three automotive hand tools, 15 articles of clothing and “assorted papers.” The search warrant doesn’t say what was in those papers.

On the day the car was found, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown confirmed that what appeared to be a suicide note written by 46-year-old Lester Hobbs was found in the car.

The body of 7-year-old Aja Johnson was found next to the car and the body of Hobbs, her stepfather and alleged abductor, was found inside. The two had been missing since Jan. 24, when Tonya Hobbs — the girl’s mother and Lester Hobbs’ estranged wife — was found dead inside Lester Hobbs’ motor home in Geronimo, about 100 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Authorities believe Lester Hobbs killed Tonya Hobbs and kidnapped the girl, taking Tonya Hobbs’ car. Police issued an Amber Alert but none of the tips called in led to Aja or her stepfather. Eventually, the owner of the land where Tonya Hobbs’ car was found spotted it and called police, who obtained the search warrant.

Police also searched the land surrounding the car and found, among other items, a silver sequin blouse and elementary note paper with writing.

The state Medical Examiner’s office is waiting for results from toxicology tests before determining the cause and manner of death of Aja and Lester Hobbs. A preliminary autopsy report said Aja had cuts to her neck.

http://enidnews.com/state/x1687704459/Knives-rope-found-in-car-where-girl-s-body-found

Slain Girls Shared Same DHS Worker
Yolanda Hunter Worked With Aja Johnson, Kelsey Briggs
POSTED: 6:39 pm CDT April 14, 2010
UPDATED: 10:00 pm CDT April 14, 2010

OKLAHOMA CITY - The deaths of two Oklahoma children years apart are raising concerns because of a common link to a state agency.

She said instead of putting Kelsey in a state home, Hunter put her in danger.

Kelsey Briggs' grandmother and Aja Johnson's father met Wednesday to share their grief.

"There's no comparison to losing a child in your family," said Kathie Briggs. "Four and a half years later, I still look at little girls' clothes."...

..."It just makes you weak to know that she's still doing the same job and still making the same mistakes," said Kathie Briggs.

She said instead of putting Kelsey in a state home, Hunter put her in danger.

more:
http://www.koco.com/mostpopular/23154473/detail.html

Search warrants in Aja Johnson case released
April 10, 2010

NORMAN, OK -- There are some strange findings in the search warrants released in the death of Aja Johnson. The 7-year-old and her stepfather Lester Hobbs were found dead in Cleveland County two weeks ago. Authorities believe Hobbs killed Aja's mother and took Aja. They believe he then killed Aja and himself. Hobbs was found dead in his ex-wife's car. Aja was found dead outside the car.

Search warrants list what was found on the front seat of the car which includes three sections of rope, two knives and 15 articles of clothing.

Outside the car, investigators found things such as elementary notepaper with writing, a red plastic candy bag, a plastic measuring cup and an automobile engine coolant reservoir.

Aja's father, J.J. Johnson, says he believes he knows what happened.

"A coolant reservoir is where the overflow of the antifreeze goes. I noticed he had a large knife on top of that car. I figured he used that to cut that container off with that and poured it into some soda pop or something and gave it to Aja."

Investigators are waiting on toxicology reports from the medical examiner's office to determine exact cause of death.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-search-warrents-release-aja-story,0,2542646.story

Examiner: Accused abductor drank antifreeze to kill himself

By Associated Press
Published: 5/7/2010 3:06 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY — The state Medical Examiner's office says a man accused of abducting a 7-year-old girl who later was found dead committed suicide by apparently ingesting antifreeze.

The agency released its autopsy findings on 46-year-old Lester Hobbs on Friday. The nine-page report says Hobbs died of acute ethylene glycol intoxication. Ethylene glycol is a primary ingredient of automobile antifreeze.

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20100507_12_0_OKLAHO821950

Horrific abuse marked last three years of Aja Johnson’s life

Aja Johnson
By RANDY ELLIS NewsOK.com
Published: 5/27/2010 7:17 AM
Last Modified: 5/27/2010 7:41 AM

In the three years leading up to Lester Hobbs’ abduction and murder of stepdaughter Aja Johnson, he threw lit firecrackers in her bedroom to awaken her, slashed her mattress and sheets with a knife and repeatedly beat her with a flexible ruler, a new report reveals.

Records show the state Department of Human Services received seven reports of abuse and neglect in the two years leading up to Aja’s abduction, but the agency pushed for months to keep Aja and her stepsister in Hobbs’ home, according to a death review report issued by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth.

Beth Scott, a DHS spokeswoman, said the state agency tries to assist parents in keeping families together when workers believe children can be kept safe, but determining whether children will be safe is often not an easy task.

The bodies of Hobbs, 47, and Aja, 7, were found near Norman on March 29, more than two months after both disappeared and Aja’s mother was found dead in Hobbs’ motor home in Geronimo. The state medical examiner ruled Hobbs committed suicide by consuming antifreeze after apparently killing his wife and stepdaughter.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20100527_12_0_Inthet831974

The Oklahoma DHS didn't think throwing lit firecrackers in Aja's bedroom to awaken her, slashing her mattress and sheets with a knife and repeatedly beating her with a flexible ruler were good enough reasons to remove her from the home? Aja's death could have been prevented. Way too often, it seems that no matter how bad a situation is, children aren't removed from a dangerous situation until one of them dies. There are too many situations where once a child dies due to abuse or neglect, then and only then will protective services remove any other children from the home.

My thoughts, exactly, J4A!

***There's a huge problem with DHS!!!***

I cannot imagine that little girl having to live with that kind of terror - never knowing what was coming next.

I couldn't even post a comment after reading that, it broke my heart...again. I doubt this all she suffered in three years. She also received severe beatings from him as well. Many reasons why mom was ordered to not have him around her. Aja should have been taken away a long time ago.........

Oklahoma DHS caseworker in high-profile child deaths retires

RANDY ELLIS
Oklahoman
Published: June 4, 2010

A Lincoln County child welfare worker whose judgment has been questioned in two high-profile child death cases is retiring.

Caseworker Yolanda Hunter will retire from the Department of Human Services at her own request on July 1 and be out on leave until that time, said Beth Scott, spokeswoman for the department.

Hunter was unavailable for comment.

Hunter was one of the primary caseworkers in the Kelsey Smith-Briggs and Aja Johnson child death cases, according to Kathie Briggs, Kelsey's grandmother.

The cases drew statewide media attention because of the state's failure to protect the girls despite repeated reports of serious abuse.

Kelsey, 2, was killed in 2005 after suffering months of abuse that included a broken collarbone, two broken legs and numerous bruises.

Her mother, Raye Dawn Smith, and stepfather, Michael Lee Porter, both are serving time for enabling child abuse.

The mother is serving a 27-year sentence, and the stepfather is serving a 30-year sentence.

Aja, 7, was abducted and killed earlier this year by her stepfather, Lester Hobbs.

A report released last week by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth revealed that for two years DHS had received repeated reports of abuse that included Hobbs repeatedly beating her with a flexible ruler, throwing lit firecrackers in her bedroom to awaken her and slashing her mattress and sheets with a knife. Despite the reports, DHS pressed for months to keep Aja and her stepsister in Hobbs' home, and Special Judge Dawson Engle followed their recommendations.

"There are things that I learned from the commission's report that I had not previously known,” Engle told The Oklahoman Thursday.

"There are things I would like to have known, and I think I should have been made aware of or told.”

Engle said if he had been told certain things, he might have made different decisions. The judge said he couldn't discuss specifics of the case because he believes the law prohibits it.

Worker's cases should be reviewed, grandmother says
Kathie Briggs said she welcomes Hunter's retirement.

"I think she should have been fired rather than allowed to retire ... but at least she's not putting any other children in danger,” Briggs said.

Briggs said she believes Hunter decided early on that she didn't like Briggs and refused to listen to reports of abuse.

Briggs said she took her complaints to Hunter's supervisor, district supervisor and even DHS Director Howard Hendrick, but she couldn't get anybody to listen and take action.

Briggs said she believes all the cases being handled by Hunter should be reviewed to make sure the children are safe, and the whole agency should be scrutinized.

Briggs said she and Aja's biological father, J.J. Johnson, met and discussed their cases, and both feel DHS officials weren't really listening to the children.

Hunter has worked 34 years for the state and 19 years for DHS, Scott said. Her annual salary was $32,444.87.

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-dhs-caseworker-in-high-profile-child-deaths-retires/article/3465997

Aja Johnson's cause of death at M.E.'s Office

Marika Lorraine Reporting KFOR
12:19 PM CDT, June 22, 2010

 

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Her murder made headlines for months, but the actual cause of Aja Johnson's death remains a mystery. We know the 7 year old was kidnapped in January of 2010. Her body was found two months later next to the body of her suspected killer, Lester Hobbs. Hobbs was Aja's stepfather. He murdered Aja's mother before taking the little girl.

Hobbs took his life by drinking antifreeze, but no one knows yet exactly how he killed Aja.

For JJ Johnson, Aja's father, the wait for his daughter's death certificate is hard.

He says, "Months later I can't get closure to my daughter. I can't get the death certificate and I can't put this to rest because of all these strings that are just dangling around."

The state still has Aja's cause of death listed a pending. Johnson says, "It's just so hard to have to wait and wait on this Medical Examiner's office."

Without an official cause, the insurance company will not recognize her death.

That money was supposed to go to beautify her grave site.

Now, Johnson is left waiting on the state to give him answers.

Answers he knows will be difficult to take, but ones he says are necessary.

Johnson says, "Either he poisoned her or he bound, gagged her and cut her throat. It's going to be one way or another. I just need closure to it."

Cherokee Ballard, the spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner's office says they were previously waiting on toxicology results.

Those results are now in; a pathologist will be taking a look at the tests and she says Aja's death certificate should be finished soon.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-aja-johnson-death-results-soon-story,0,7548715.story

I still think about this little girl - being told by her stepfather repeatedly that he hated her according to other family members - slashing her bedding w/ a knife - throwing fire crackers in her room - and then standing by as a witness to her mothers brutal murder - but that wasn't the end... On so many levels, this was preventable - as are so many cases - but here we see another little angel murdered ruthlessly and pointlessly. It saddens and sickens me that this continues to happen, but at least we know that the moment Hobbs stepped into eternity, justice was served. Aja is in a much better place...

Aja Johnson's Autopsy Report Released

KSBI News
Story Updated: Jun 25, 2010 at 8:32 PM CDT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An autopsy says a 7-year-old girl who was found dead with her stepfather in a wooded area of Norman died a "violent death."

The report released Friday says Aja Johnson may have died of a neck injury, but her body was badly decomposed. The report says there were four or five cuts to the left front of her neck that went to the spine, but the remainder of the neck was nearly a skeleton with no remaining tissue.

Aja and her stepfather, 46-year-old Lester Hobbs, were found March 29. Aja's body was lying covered on the ground near her mother's missing car. Hobbs was found inside the car.

Authorities began looking for the two when Aja's mother was found dead Jan. 24 in Hobbs' motor home in Geronimo.

http://www.ksbitv.com/news/97185274.html

This beast tortured this child the entire time he was in her life. She suffered more than any of us could ever imagine. God rest her little soul.........

OSBI closing investigation into abduction and killing of Aja Johnson
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation will close its investigation into the deaths of Aja Johnson, 7, her mother and her stepfather

BY SHEILA STOGSDILL
Published: September 11, 2010

~Snipped~

OSBI had kept the case open for a while, investigating whether any friends or relatives of Lester Hobbs aided him while he was on the run after Tonya Hobbs' death.

Jessica Brown, OSBI spokeswoman, said this week there is no reason to believe any family members aided Lester Hobbs.

J.J. Johnson also doesn't think Hobbs' family had any involvement in the abduction or slaying of his daughter.

"He was just a coward,” Johnson said. "His family didn't even like him.”

Read more: http://newsok.com/osbi-closing-investigation-into-killing-of-aja-johnson/article/3493862

I hope Lester Hobbs burns in hell for all eternity......

Piper, if my belief in what the Bible says is real, that is exactly what he will do. Thank God.

Aja Johnson's killing prompts child welfare scrutiny

Prosecutors say child welfare workers are overworked and underpaid and often don't work well with local law enforcement on child abuse and neglect investigations.

September 30, 2010

The killing of a 7-year-old girl whose family had frequent contact with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services led the incoming House speaker on Thursday to place the state's child abuse and neglect review system under new scrutiny.

House Speaker-designate Kris Steele questioned several state child abuse experts during an interim legislative study prompted by the death of 7-year-old Aja Johnson. The girl and her stepfather, Lester Hobbs, disappeared after Aja's mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found dead Jan. 24 inside Hobbs' motor home in Geronimo. Their bodies were discovered on March 29 in a heavily wooded area near Norman.

“The thing that stood out to me is that there is a long track record of DHS involvement in the life of Aja and her family,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “Did the state of Oklahoma do everything possible to try and protect this child? I'm not insinuating that did not occur. I'm just wanting to make sure.”

A report on Aja's death by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth shows the girl's family had nine referrals to DHS in the three years leading to her death, including reported abuse by Hobbs, an ex-convict who had served time in prison for assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Read more: http://www.newsok.com/aja-johnsons-killing-prompts-child-welfare-scrutiny/article/3499980?custom_click=headlines_widget

Bill Would Require Oklahoma DHS To Conduct Deeper Background Checks

Updated: Mar 25, 2011 10:27 PM EDT
NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's another series of mandates proposed for Oklahoma's embattled child welfare system. Some lawmakers want DHS to perform deeper background checks before reuniting children with their parents.

Kidnapped and brutalized by her stepfather, Aja Johnson's tragic death not only sparked outrage, but has now inspired a lawmaker.

Speaker Kris Steele proposed House Bill 2136, which calls for more vigorous background checks into parents seeking to regain custody of their children. Steele says a background check would have revealed Aja's step-father, Lester Hobbs', violent past.

Read more: http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=14325234

It's really sad that this is coming about after Aja's murder. The mother was fully aware that he shouldn't be around Aja and she took her around him anyway, knowing how badly he had abused her. I realize her mom paid the ultimate price with her life, family members saw the bruises on Aja, the courts were aware of it........I guess people don't go to prison for beating a child.........this little girl suffered until the end. Again, I hope he's burning in hell for the torture he imposed on this little girl.

Bill might prevent another brutal child murder

Published: April 30, 2011


Tuesday April 26 was a great day for Oklahoma's children. The state Senate joined the House of Representatives in unanimously passing House Bill 2136. The bill will bear the name of 7-year-old Aja Johnson, who was brutally murdered by her stepfather, Lester Hobbs, last year. This important legislation requires the Department of Human Services to perform criminal background checks through both the OSBI and FBI on any adult living in a home where a child will be placed for reunification.



Read more: http://newsok.com/bill-might-prevent-another-brutal-child-murder/article/3563176#ixzz1L17oGVqe

Something positive coming out of the dehumanization and brutal murder of this beautiful child. RIP little Aja

Hopefully the people who are supposed to run the background checks, actually do run the background checks. One lazy employee and a background check won't get done, and there will be another dead child.