Brothers found safe, Amber Alert cancelled, Navajo police says

By Krista Allen and Donovan Quintero
Navajo Times

GALLUP, N.M.

An Amber Alert was canceled Sunday afternoon after two missing Diné brothers were found safe. But police are still looking for the suspect who took the boys.

Navajo Police Officer Garrett Thomas of the Crownpoint Police District said Lyric Gray, 5, and his brother, Kerwin Gray, 7, were found in an abandoned white Oldsmobile Alero off of Red Beard Road, about 10 miles west of here.

The Amber Alert was issued this morning around 12:50 a.m. for the brothers after their mother, Vivian Johnson, reported that her boyfriend, Clinton Johnson, 26, took the boys following a verbal confrontation between the two.

The alert was first issued in Utah early Sunday morning. However, it was cancelled by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification shortly after 8 a.m. when officials no longer believed the suspect was headed for the Beehive State. The alert though remained in effect in Arizona and in New Mexico until the boys were found shortly after noon.

Vivian Johnson said she took her family camping on Friday in Wheatfields Lake, Ariz. to celebrate her birthday.

“Everything was OK, nothing happened on Friday,” Vivian Johnson said. “It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that I noticed Clinton was acting funny. I don’t recall him pulling out any beer at all … on this trip.”

Around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Vivian Johnson said, Clinton Johnson started arguing with her about keys to their car.

“I kept repeating myself, ‘I don’t have the keys!’,” Vivian Johnson said. “I left it alone, but he (started) cursing at me and calling me names.”

When Johnson found the keys to their car, he got in. At that time, the brothers, along with their older brother, Raydell, were playing in the water.

Later he started another argument, Vivian Johnson said.

“He continued,” Vivian Johnson said. “I didn’t want to get into an altercation with him because I didn’t want it to go beyond that extent where he would start beating me. So I left it alone.”

Vivian Johnson said she had more than $200 in the glove compartment of the car that she was saving for the children. At one point, she told Raydell to get the money out of the glove compartment.

Clinton Johnson however saw what Raydell was doing and stopped him. Then another argument ignited.

“I was hoping that our neighbors who were fishing not too far from us would call the cops for us if they hear us arguing and yelling,” Vivian Johnson said. “Knowing the fact that the kids were there, but nobody helped us at all.”

New Mexico residents say they received the alert shortly after 10 a.m. on Sunday reading, “Chinle, AZ AMBER Alert: LIC/238TMB (NM) White Oldsmobile Alero.”
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s AMBER Alert Program, the suspect, Clinton Johnson, took the children in a white 2000 Oldsmobile Alero and may have headed towards Mentmore, N.M.

Vivian Johnson said Clinton is from Mentmore, where he is originally from. Clinton Johnson is reported to be 5 feet 5 inches tall with tattoos reading “Johnson” on his left forearm and “Kiarra” on his left hand. His ring, middle, and index fingers on his left hand are missing.

The Navajo Times was not able to get a comment from law enforcement immediately after the initial alert was issued.

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