Authorities in Washington State have confirmed that human remains discovered in a remote area of Snohomish County belong to Mary Ellen Johnson-Davis. A 39-year-old Indigenous woman, she vanished nearly five years ago after winning a $400,000 settlement against the state for the abuse she endured in foster care.
She Was Missing For Five Years
Johnson-Davis, a member of the Tulalip Tribes, was last seen in November 2020. Her husband told her family just before Thanksgiving that she had gone missing, and soon after, relatives say, he left the state and changed his phone number. For years, her family pleaded for attention to her case, which became a focal point in the 2024 documentary Missing From Fire Trail Road, a searing look at the crisis of missing and endangered Indigenous women in the United States. In a statement released Friday, Oct. 31, the FBI’s Seattle office said the remains found in June, in a wooded area roughly 30 miles from Firetrail Road on the Tulalip Reservation, were identified as those of Johnson-Davis. The cause and manner of her death are still undetermined.
She And Her Sister Endured Horrible Abuse
In Missing From Fire Trail Road, Johnson-Davis’s sister, Nona Blouin, recounted how the two were placed in a non-Native foster home, where they suffered sexual abuse. The trauma followed them into adulthood. Eventually, the sisters sued Washington State and its child protective services, winning $400,000 settlements each for the psychological damage they endured. For Johnson-Davis, that payout was supposed to mark a beginning — a step toward independence and healing. Instead, it became part of a tragic timeline that ended with her disappearance just months later.
No One Has Been Charged With Her Disappearance
Tulalip Tribal Police Det. David Sallee told People magazine in 2021 that Johnson-Davis’s husband was considered a person of interest. To date, however, no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance or death. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than half of Native American women experience sexual violence in their lifetimes, and four in five endure some form of violence. The DOJ’s data also shows Indigenous women are disproportionately targeted by non-Native men — a pattern of predation that continues despite public outcry.
The FBI Is Searching For Leads
The FBI and the Tulalip Tribes are offering a $60,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Johnson-Davis’s case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI’s Seattle Field Office at 206-622-0460 or visit tips.fbi.gov.
