Missing 32 yo Lexington, KY Man Alex Johnson Last Seen Dec. 20, 2013

[Blue Moon]

January 21, 2014 Tweet from Josh Breslow WLEX

https://twitter.com/JoshBreslowWLEX

Josh Breslow ‏@JoshBreslowWLEX  8h 
Here's a picture of Mark Taylor, the man wanted for murder in connection w/ disappearance of Alex Johnson. #Lexington pic.twitter.com/TONUl3MHJc



Josh Breslow ‏@JoshBreslowWLEX  9h 
DEVELOPING: Murder warrant issued for Robert Marcum Taylor (aka Mark Taylor) in disappearance of Lexington man, Alex Johnson.
 @LEX18News

Is it just me or does he look like Justin Timberlake?

He is suppose to have a facebook account but I have tried every combination of his name and I cannot find it.  Someone said on his facebook page that he works in Lexington at 2 different shops?? and they named them.

[Blue Moon]

January 21, 2014 Tweet from Josh Breslow WLEX

https://twitter.com/JoshBreslowWLEX

Josh Breslow ‏@JoshBreslowWLEX  8h 
Here's a picture of Mark Taylor, the man wanted for murder in connection w/ disappearance of Alex Johnson. #Lexington pic.twitter.com/TONUl3MHJc



Josh Breslow ‏@JoshBreslowWLEX  9h 
DEVELOPING: Murder warrant issued for Robert Marcum Taylor (aka Mark Taylor) in disappearance of Lexington man, Alex Johnson.
 @LEX18News

Is it just me or does he look like Justin Timberlake?

He is suppose to have a facebook account but I have tried every combination of his name and I cannot find it.  Someone said on his facebook page that he works in Lexington at 2 different shops?? and they named them.

O.K., on facebook someone says this guy works at Soundbar in Lexington and also Riptide.  Riptide is closed now and surprise, it is located under I-75 bridge outside of Lexington where they did the search on Kentucky River early on.  I couldn't find anything on Soundbar other than it being a bar.

[texasmom]

Very sad to see the recent developments in Alex's disappearance.   

My heart goes out to his family, I hope they find him soon.

[MuffyBee]

Very sad to see the recent developments in Alex's disappearance.   

My heart goes out to his family, I hope they find him soon.

Me too, texasmom, me too.  Now that we have reason to believe Alexis was kidnapped and murdered, I dread to hear the details of the crimes committed against him.     The facts and the truth need to see the light of day, and Alex and his family, friends and co-workers deserve no less.  We can't bring Alex back but there still needs to be a reckoning.  I'm praying for justice for Alex.   

[grace-land]

http://kykernel.com/2014/01/22/police-investigate-homicide-of-missing-uk-chef/

Police investigate homicide of missing UK chef
January 22, 2014

 
Steve O’Daniel, a private investigator hired by the Johnson family, said the police are looking for Robert Markham Taylor, 28 in connection with the murder of Johnson. O’Daniel does not know Taylor’s current location, but said he has been in Lexington for years.

“We’d love to find him, and I’m sure the police would love to find him,” O’Daniel said. “We do know (Taylor and Johnson) knew each other; we’re not exactly sure how.”
 
O’Daniel, who works investigations all over Kentucky, said he has become a family friend in the process of investigating.

“The family is just trying to get a handle on this,” he said. “This has been devastating.”

It is too early in the case to settle on a motive, O’Daniel said, and additional information on Taylor has to be held until the police are more certain of his whereabouts.

Gerald Marvel, general manager of the Boone Center, said on Tuesday that to his knowledge, none of Johnson’s coworkers expected or had suspicions of a kidnapping.

“He’s always been a very dependable employee,” Marvel said. “By all accounts he was a kind soul.”

Johnson, who had worked at the Boone Center since shortly after its reopening in 2008, was well liked by his coworkers, Marvel said.

Marvel is looking into grief counseling options for his employees, he said.

“(The investigation) has brought an unfortunate conclusion to this case and we’ll just have to work this process through the courts,” O’Daniel said. “The main thing we’re concerned on is finding Alex.”

[Blue Moon]

This is just so bad.  I just cannot imagine the pain his family is going through.

If the first post from Topix I put out above is correct then he skipped town and went to Florida after getting a lawyer when the police questioned him.  That was the 1st of 2 Topix comments I posted that were later erased.

I just hope they will be able to find him.  This family needs answers and they need to be able to bring their son home and give him a proper burial.

This Mark Taylors picture is out there and his facebook page is out there also.  Would it not be appropriate for his picture to be posted by the police so they get him before he just disappears? I understand from his facebook page that he is from St. Pete, Florida.

I just have an awful feeling they will never find Alex and that would be an injustice for him and his family.

I cannot imagine what they did to him and why they felt they needed to do this.

I also wonder why someone from Florida comes to a college town like Lexington.  I also wonder how a convict from Alabama comes to Lexington and just how he and Taylor hooked up.  Their backgrounds seem so different from each other. 

I am trying to find why I read this but the private investigator has been with the family almost from the start and if I read the article correctly he is the one who furnished the police with info that got Tim Ballard arrested and the murder charge against Taylor issued.  I wonder what the detective found that the police didn't?

[grace-land]

http://www.kentucky.com/2014/01/22/3047446/friends-relatives-struggle-to.html

Friends, relatives struggle to come to grips with the death of Alex Johnson
January 22, 2014 Updated 1 hour ago

As she sat in her office Wednesday afternoon, Angela Baldridge struggled not to cry when asked what she'll remember most about Alex Johnson.

Baldridge, a close friend of Johnson's, is still in disbelief after Tuesday's news that Lexington police turned a missing-persons case into a homicide investigation.

Johnson, 32, disappeared Dec. 20 after his girlfriend said he ended a phone call with her by saying he needed to answer the door at his home on North Hanover Avenue. Johnson's disappearance became a missing-persons case after relatives became concerned when Johnson didn't return calls or follow through with plans he had made with friends that night. He also didn't attend a meeting at work the next day.

"It's hard to imagine somebody would want to hurt him," said Baldridge, who has known Johnson for 13 years. "I can't imagine anyone having any ill will towards him."

As of Wednesday, police had not arrested anyone in Johnson's death.

On Tuesday, police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts confirmed police obtained an arrest warrant for someone, but said identifying that person would be harmful to the case. On Wednesday, Roberts said police still were not ready to release the identity. Several news outlets have identified the suspect as Robert Markham Taylor, 28, of Lexington, who also is known as Mark Taylor. And Steven O'Daniel, a spokesman for Johnson's family, has said police are looking for a man named Mark Taylor.

Roberts would not say Wednesday whether a body had been found. Fayette County coroner's office officials said they did not find a body. Roberts also would not say whether police have launched a multi-state search. She previously said that the murder suspect and Johnson knew each other.
 

[Blue Moon]

Trying to find this but on Alex's facebook page someone says Lex18 says they have arrested Mark Taylor in Texas.

Now to find Alex. 

[Blue Moon]

Here it is:

 

Murder Suspect Arrested In Case Of Missing Lexington Man

The man wanted in connection to the disappearance of a Lexington man has been found and arrested in Texas.

Authorities in Pharr, Texas, located and arrested fugitive Robert Markham Taylor on Wednesday who was wanted in connection to the kidnapping and homicide of Alex Johnson.

Johnson had been missing since Dec. 20, 2013, and was considered a missing person until Jan. 21, 2014, when investigators determined his disappearance was the result of a kidnapping and subsequent homicide.

Homicide detectives in Lexington filed a murder warrant for Robert Markham Taylor, who goes by Mark Taylor, on Monday.

Another man, Timothy Ballard, who goes by Tiny, was arrested Monday and is in the Fayette County Detention Center charged with complicity to kidnapping resulting in the death of a victim, and tampering with evidence. Ballard's bond has been set at $253,000 and he has asked for a public defender.

Lexington Police have not given any details as to how the investigation led to the suspects and their connection to the crime. It is also not clear if Johnson's body has been found...............................

http://www.lex18.com/news/murder-suspect-arrested-in-case-of-missing-lexington-man/

[Blue Moon]

This is a good article about Alex:

Friends, relatives struggle to come to grips with the death of Alex Johnson
By Justin Madden and Erin Simon
jmadden@herald-leader.comJanuary 22, 2014 Updated 12 hours ago

 

......."It's hard to imagine somebody would want to hurt him," said Baldridge, who has known Johnson for 13 years. "I can't imagine anyone having any ill will towards him."

As of Wednesday, police had not arrested anyone in Johnson's death.

On Tuesday, police spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts confirmed police obtained an arrest warrant for someone, but said identifying that person would be harmful to the case. On Wednesday, Roberts said police still were not ready to release the identity. Several news outlets have identified the suspect as Robert Markham Taylor, 28, of Lexington, who also is known as Mark Taylor. And Steven O'Daniel, a spokesman for Johnson's family, has said police are looking for a man named Mark Taylor.

Roberts would not say Wednesday whether a body had been found. Fayette County coroner's office officials said they did not find a body. Roberts also would not say whether police have launched a multi-state search.....................

  (from same article)

"We are working hard on the case, and we want to solve it, obviously, without harming the investigation more than it may already have been at this juncture. We are just kind of following up," Roberts said Wednesday.




(BBM:  I wonder what they mean by harming the investigation more than it may already have been?)

[Blue Moon]

Forgot the link to the above article:

http://www.kentucky.com/2014/01/22/3047446/friends-relatives-struggle-to.html

[Blue Moon]

Man, Pharr, Texas is almost at the Mexican border.  Imagine if he got in Mexico.  They would have never brought him back to Lexington!

[Blue Moon]

 


Murder Suspect In Case Of Missing Lexington Man Arrested In Texas

The man wanted in connection to the disappearance of a Lexington man has been found and arrested in Texas.

Authorities in Pharr, Texas, located and arrested fugitive Robert Markham Taylor on Wednesday. Taylor was wanted in connection to the kidnapping and homicide of Alex Johnson.

Pharr is nearly 14,000 miles from Lexington and just blocks from the Mexican border.

Lexington Police sent local police there a photo of Taylor and a possible location at a motel. When investigators there went to check it out, Taylor allegedly spotted them and jumped into a car.

He was stopped just a block from the border where police found several pounds of marijuana in his car......................


http://www.lex18.com/news/murder-suspect-arrested-in-case-of-missing-lexington-man/





Wow, found several pounds of Marijuana in his car...............Makes you wonder why the Tiny guy stayed behind instead of running also.

[Blue Moon]

The above article really has a bad error---it says Pharr is 14,000 miles from Lexington----it should be 1400 miles.


Can you imagine killing someone and then running off to Texas, almost in Mexico, and thinking you won't be caught?

Some people are just so stupid.

Now, what did they do with Alex's body?  I just hope they have or will tell so this family and friends will have closure.  I am just so afraid to know what they did to him.  JMO

[grace-land]

Thanks for the good news, Blue Moon!  Now we have to find Alex and bring him home to his family.  With so many charges against both men, maybe one of them will cooperate with the LE.  I hope.

[grace-land]

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=997900#.UuF9j1_nbIU

Kentucky murder suspect arrested at motel near Pharr bridge
Posted: 2 hrs, 31 mins ago


Robert Markham Taylor // Pharr Police Department Photo

A Kentucky murder suspect is behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after authorities found him at a motel near the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.

Pharr police arrested 28-year-old Robert Markham Taylor on an oustanding warrant from Kentucky on Wednesday night.

Investigators told Action 4 News that they received a call from the Lexington Police Department in Kentucky advising them that Taylor was staying at the Motel 9.

The hotel is located less than half a from the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.

Officers arrested Taylor at his motel room where they also reported finding several pounds of marijuana inside his vehicle.

Taylor is expected face marijuana charges in Pharr but is expected to be extradited to Kentucky to face the murder charge.
 

[Mere]

I am so glad this man was caught.  Thanks to all of you for the articles.

Wonder if he was driving in south Texas with a KY license plate.....and hopefully the KY LE had his info out there all along the border.

I believe Pharr is about 30 minutes from the border.

I just hate that they have taken a person with sparkling eyes and a wonderful smile from his friends and family.

[Blue Moon]

Thanks for the good news, Blue Moon!  Now we have to find Alex and bring him home to his family.  With so many charges against both men, maybe one of them will cooperate with the LE.  I hope.

Thanks Grace-land, and yes, they need to allow Alex's family to bring him home.

I am worried about the charges without a body.  I just hope that they did not prematurely bring charges because they saw he was running for the border.  Without a murder charge they would not have had a reason to stop him and detain him (of course, him having pounds of marijuana was a bonus for them).

I am worried about the comment I bolded above, that harming the investigation more than it already has.  Sounds like the police were not happy about the PI being involved and the PI was the one who gave evidence to the police.  I still haven't found that article where it states that.  Surely they have proof positive that Alex was murdered. Surely.

[Mere]

wow....the Motel 9 is right there by the border....here is a link to a google map for the area....

http://goo.gl/maps/Ru782

[grace-land]

http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=997900#.UuF9j1_nbIU

Suspect wanted for murder in case of missing Lexington man is arrested in Texas
January 23, 2014 Updated 2 hours ago

 
Authorities in Hidalgo County, Texas, located and arrested fugitive Robert Markham Taylor on Wednesday. Taylor, 28, of Lexington will be scheduled for a court appearance in Hidalgo County for an extradition hearing. He was arrested by police in Pharr, Texas. Taylor's extradition will be arranged by the Fayette County sheriff, which is standard procedure.

Taylor is being held in the Hidalgo County jail in Edinburg, Texas, as a fugitive based on warrants issued from Lexington on charges of murder, kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

Police also charged Taylor with possession of marijuana.

Lexington police Spokeswoman Sherelle Roberts said Taylor didn't have any connections in Texas, and the investigation remains open for the "last piece." She didn't specify what that piece is.

Roberts did say that Johnson's body has not been found.

The Fayette County sheriff's office, acting on credible information, notified Lexington police of Taylor's possible location.