BILLINGS - A missing person's case turned homicide has renewed one family's push for the truth.
It began more than one year ago when Jessie Johnson went missing from South Billings.
Watch the video below:
Now family members, who feared foul play from day one, are searching a 30-mile stretch along the Pryor Creek drainage, where Billings policebelieve his remains may be found.
Johnson's family and friends searched for his body close to Pryor Creek in Huntley on Thursday.
“They have an area now where we were lost at where to find but we continued on searching but now I feel there's gonna be a closure coming soon,” said Emma Bellrock Johnson, Jessie’s mom.
Bellrock Johnson says it's too emotionally difficult for her to go on those searches.
The family appreciates any help searching near the creek between Huntley and Pryor.
“We're hurting really bad,” said Lena Rideshorse, who described herself as Jessie’s second mom. “We just want closure. We want to lay him to rest. And how could people be so heartless?”
Ridehorse says Jessie was turning his life around.
“'I'm very proud of him because he knew that it was time to grow up and start changing, start being there, you know, for his kids and start accomplishing things in life,” Rideshorse said.
The family has some facts on the case but said they cannot share that information.
“We never knew the area, so somebody has come up and spoken,” Bellrock Johnson said. “This world has changed so much. And this thing called snitches, when it comes to somebody that is a human being and you know was worth on this Earth, you tell everybody what had happened.”
The family is still looking for more information on Jessie Johnson.
A poster with his picture is taped to the light post next to the court where he used to like to play basketball.
“He was always a kind person,” Rideshorse said. “He wanted to make people laugh.”
His family says he enjoyed The Three Stooges, Pee Wee Herman and was a character.
“He always had that deep, deep laugh,” Rideshorse said.
“Jessie was life,” Bellrock Johnson said. “He was everything. He has a good sense of humor. He thought about people.”
Now they wait on the search and the investigation.
