Cause of death Homicide Known for Murder victim Nationality American Name Murder Erica | Ethnicity African American Resting place Kansas City Citizenship United States | |
 Full Name Erica Michelle Marie Green Born May 15, 1997 ( 1997-05-15 ) McLoud, Oklahoma, USA Body discovered On April 28, 2001 (body)May 1, 2001 (head) Died April 28, 2001, Kansas City, Missouri, United States Similar Murder of Brenda Sue Brown, Murder of Anjelica Castillo, Murder of Stephanie Crowe | ||
Erica Michelle Marie Green (May 15, 1997 – April 28, 2001) was a three-year-old murder victim discovered on April 28, 2001, in Kansas City, Missouri, who remained unidentified (and known as Precious Doe) until May 5, 2005. The girl had been murdered and decapitated (between 12 and 48 hours prior to discovery). The body was naked and the head was wrapped in a trash bag and dumped nearby. The brutality of the crime, and the fact that the child went unidentified for a long period, sparked national interest. In an effort to identify the girl, police released sketches, computerized likenesses, and at least two busts depicting the victim.
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Discovery
On April 28, 2001, Erica's body was found, missing the head, near Hibbs Park at 59th Street and Kensington Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri. The young girl's head was found approximately 150 to 200 yards southeast of the body recovery site on May 1, 2001. It was determined that she had been beaten with an ashtray (which was found with the body, but lacked DNA or fingerprints), and kicked several times, causing brutal injuries all over her body. Autopsy reports showed that the girl was alive when she was decapitated.
Media appearances
The case was featured on the TV programs America's Most Wanted and Cold Case Files several times.
Identification
On May 5, 2005, the body was identified as Erica Green, age three, and her mother Michelle Johnson (also known as Michelle Pierce) and stepfather Harrell Johnson were charged with her murder and extradited from Oklahoma to face charges in Missouri. Michelle Johnson's eight other children were taken into state custody or placed with relatives. On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty against Erica's stepfather, Harrell Johnson. Police have said that Erica died when Harrell Johnson used hedge clippers to sever her head. Johnson's cousin, Lawanda Driskell, said that Erica's mother helped Harrell dispose of the body by taking Erica from the house as if sleeping in a stroller and telling Driskell she had given Erica to the woman who had raised her while Johnson was in prison.
Conviction
On October 8, 2008, Harrell Johnson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. On October 22, 2008, Michelle Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison, in exchange for her 2007 guilty plea to second-degree murder and testimony against her husband.