“She’s dead”: family received chilling text from missing mother’s phone in New York

“Your mother is in Brooklyn Hospital” and “I’m sorry, she’s dead” are two disturbing messages recently received by a family from the phone number of Arlena Johnson, a missing Bronx (NYC) mother.

“Around 8 or 9 at night on Christmas my mom’s boyfriend and my older sister got a text saying that my mom She had been raped and murdered.” her daughter Ashannia Johnson told Pix11showing copies.

The text messages continued with some other cryptic comments. Ashannia said that her mother was supposed to visit her eldest daughter in brooklyn for christmas and they would cook. But she never got there. The family has checked several hospitals in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens and have found no information.

Arlena has an extended family of relatives who live in Pennsylvania, the five boroughs of NYC, and Tennessee. In the midst of the bizarre case, her sister Rae Dean said she tried to file a missing persons report, but was told Arlena had a pending criminal warrantalthough it was not something serious.

Dean, who lives in Pennsylvania, said a relative went to Arlena’s Bronx apartment for a wellness check and toured it with a “live” camera. “The bed was arranged to make it look like she was lying down… Pillows were placed to make it look like a person was there.”

An NYPD spokesperson said a family member in New York City should call 911 immediately and say “we want to file a missing person report right now.”

The family acknowledged that Arlena, 45, has history of substance use. When Ashannia Johnson was 9 years old, she and her two sisters were placed in foster care, but they remained close to their mother.

Anyone with information should call to 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) and in Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Also through the page crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text to 274637 (CRIMES), followed by TIP577. All communications are strictly confidential.