Two 14-year-old girls arrested in connection to 93-year-old woman’s killing, officials say

BUTLER COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - Two 14-year-old girls were arrested for first-degree murder in connection to the September 2023 death of a 93-year-old woman, authorities said.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said the teens, from Augusta, were arrested Thursday afternoon and are being held at separate juvenile detention facilities.

Joanne Johnson was found dead in her home over Labor Day weekend last year.

The Augusta Police Department said Johnson lived alone and authorities ruled her death a homicide.

Joanne Johnson was found dead in her home over Labor Day weekend in 2023.(Kansas Bureau of Investigation)

After Johnson’s death, her son released a statement calling his mother a wonderful and kind person.

“The situation is inexplicable, no different than getting struck by lightning on a cloudless day,” the statement read. “The family has no words, or ability to understand what has happened.”

In May, eight months after Johnson’s death, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and the 93-year-old’s family offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case. Kelly issued an executive order offering a $5,000 reward to anyone with details that could lead to a conviction in Johnson’s death. Johnson’s family offered to match the reward, increasing the total to $10,000.

Responding to the arrests in the case nearly a year after Johnson’s death, her family said they’re in shock, but they are also ready to see the beginning of a resolution to what’s been a devastating year.

The family and Johnson’s former neighbors in Augusta said they’ve lived in fear while those responsible for the woman’s death remained at large. Although still heartbroken, Johnson’s friends and family say there’s relief with the breakthrough in the case.

“We just loved her and this was the most devastating thing for our block, our neighborhood,” Holly Randol, Johnson’s former neighbor, said. “Still heartbroken that this whole thing had to happen. It was kids, kids. My heart is just broken.”

Johnson’s family said they don’t know the girls who were arrested in the case, but they added that no matter their age, the murder was brutal and the punishment should be severe.

Augusta Public Schools Superintendent Matt Ward addressed the arrests of the two teenagers in a statement to families in the district.

“News like this can be difficult, but I want to stress that the incident under investigation took place nearly one year ago, away from school. It did not take place on district property, and nobody from our school was placed in harm’s way at any time,” part of Ward’s statement said.

Formal charges are pending and the investigation is ongoing, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.