Note: The reward amount offered has been corrected in this story.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Nearly fifty years after a young Memphis woman was stabbed to death and her body burned, investigators are asking for the public’s help finding her killer.
Gloria P. Johnson was just 19 years old when her remains were discovered by Memphis firefighters on October 16, 1974, in a Southwest Memphis neighborhood.
Firefighters were called to YMV Road, north of Fields Road, near Hicky Street, to put out what they thought was a grass fire but instead found Johnson’s body under the burning debris.
Police said Johnson was reported missing ten days earlier, and the medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be multiple stab wounds.
MPD said its Cold Case Unit is actively investigating the case but needs the public’s help to solve the brutal murder.
The Memphis and Shelby County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for Johnson’s death.
Johnson’s family members have also raised an additional $10,000 reward.
Johnson left behind three children. She had a brother who is now a doctor in Memphis.
If you can help, police call Crime Stoppers at (901)-528-CASH, or you can call the Memphis Police Department’s Cold Case Hotline at (901)-636-2653.
