Cops Discover Bodies in Woman's Trunk During Traffic Stop

That don't smell like dirty clothes.

What do you mean?

I'm about to show you.

This shit been sitting in there for months and months and months and months and months.

You're going to open that up all the way. What is that?

What is that?

No. Open, pull it out.

What the f***?

Get the f*** in!

Put your hands up!

What begins as a routine traffic stop takes a horrifying turn when officers detect a strange putrid smell coming from the vehicle. The search that follows uncovers a secret so disturbing it defies belief, leaving multiple officers visibly shaken,

physically ill, and utterly enraged by one of the most vile discoveries ever made.

I need you to calm down.

I need you to calm down. I'm trying to, no. I need you to focus. Listen to me. Calm down. vile discoveries ever made.

The following is based on official police records and most of the footage has never been seen before until now. In Essex, Maryland just after 11pm on July July 28, 2021, an officer with the Baltimore County Police Department approaches a vehicle for a traffic stop. How you doing? All right, you got your license

registration on you? You know why I pulled you over? You know what the speed limit is? No. Okay, speed limit is 35. Oh. And you was doing well over it. Oh, I'm sorry. I swear I only thought I was going 40.

The driver, 33-year-old Nicole Michelle Johnson, hands over a state ID. Sitting beside her in the front seat is a friend who she calls Bebe. The officer heads back to his cruiser to run a registration, but the information doesn't quite check out.

An unpayment vehicle requested not found or on file.

Temple.

So you don't have a driver's license? No. Okay. And also this vehicle is not even registered. Those tags in there are fake tags. This car has to be towed.

I'm not getting my stuff out of it.

Yeah, you get everything out of it, but how long did you have this car?

It's been like almost 30 days.

As the officer returns to his cruiser to issue citations, Nicole and Bebe exit the vehicle. Nicole walks to the rear and opens the trunk, revealing several large bags tightly packed inside.

Ms. Johnson, you come over here. So you got pulled over for the same stuff already.

But that's why I went and I really, really thought I got good tics.

You gotta be careful with that, uh, stuff off the internet and all that kind of stuff like that.

That stuff don't even get legit.

Like, you literally see, like, we literally, well not her, but me and my kids literally living in the car, like.

Ms. Johnson, I just need you to sign this. This is basically telling you that you have to go to Kelso Drive Courthouse within five days to request a court date. If you don't request a court date within five days, they can issue a warrant for your arrest. This is not meant to guilt.

I'll be here in five days. I swear to God.

Please.

I think it's the last day. I can't go through anymore. Then just take me home, please. I can't take you.

It's in the city. I can't go down there. There you go. This is not admitting to guilt or anything like that? I'm telling you, it's cool. I won't be here tomorrow.

Tonight is my last night. What am I going through?

I still got to do my job until I explain it to you.

I know, but I'm just saying. I'm not even talking about in Baltimore. Watch, tomorrow y'all are gonna see me on the news. Y'all are gonna see me make my big favor. I'll split that.

The officer has no idea her bizarre comment will soon become a shocking reality. With a tow truck on its way, Nicole sits on the sidewalk and calls a friend for a ride.

You wanna grab a couple of your things? Yes, please. Go ahead. Go ahead and do what you gotta do.

I'm going to go through my stuff.

I'm going to go through my stuff.

I'm going to do an inventory search of your car once you finish taking out what you want

to take out.

What's an inventory search?

So an inventory search is when and they taking my car.

I gotta take all my stuff out

because you know I don't have anything.

So if I lose this, this is all I got.

Y'all keep asking me to move on. Y'all keep telling me one more thing. Y'all keep saying everything's gonna get better. Y'all keep saying this and you can't get no worse. Y'all keep saying find the light, find the light, find the light, where's the light? Like where is the light?

Like where is the light? Like where, like where, where, where? You're like inspirational conversations.

Here we go, here we go, because I can't take no more.

Like I really can't take no more.

When backup arrives at the scene, the officer taps his colleague on the arm and quietly shares that something is very wrong.

Come here for a sec.

Officer, officer.

Yeah, hold up for a minute.

What's up, Eric?

Do me a favor.

Walk back, walk over to that car

and just see what you smell. Not drugs drugs anything, but see you smiling

Did you move in a gun this way I live it

No, I'm just gonna find I need to know

What is this right here, what? What is this? A bunch of dirty clothes. A bunch of, bunch of dirty clothes.

That don't smell like dirty clothes.

Huh?

That don't smell like dirty clothes.

What do you mean?

I'm about to show you. I'm about to show you. I'm about to show you right now.

It's a bunch of dirty blankets. All this shit been sitting in there for months and months and months and months and months.

You're gonna have to, ma'am, I'm honest, you're gonna have to open that up all the way.

I'm about to open it up all the way.

Yeah, you're gonna have to open it up all the way for me.

Bunch of stuff all over it and everything.

Oh, it's magic.

Because it's bugs and stuff over it and everything. I know, but I don't know what it is, though.

The stench is unmistakable, but finding the source of the smell is easier said than done, as whatever is inside is buried beneath endless layers of plastic trash bags.

Literally ripping through all the veins, so we can see all the nerdy stuff. I don't think that a guilty person

would be doing anyt **** like this, bro.

If I take all my stuff out, where am I going to put it?

This right here is drawing my attention to it, so I need to see it.

I know.

That's why I'm trying to show you.

I'm just... I'm with you.

What happened?

I'm just telling him, giving him some advice.

Okay.

I'm telling him you're just gonna find a bunch of dirty blankets.

Yeah, but I need to know what that smell is.

I am, I'm about to show you.

Nicole turns to the officer for help and he carefully begins cutting through the thick layers with a knife.

You gotta get all the way through to the dirty

because he's close.

Why you got all these blankies?

Huh?

Why you got all these blankies?

Because we stay in hotels,

from the hotel to the court.

Like I couldn't even get to the hotel.

No, no, no, no. You can finish here.

I was just curious.

Oh yeah, I couldn't even get to the hotel

receipt for you.

Okay. I'll carry you. Keep finding blankets. I ain't got one blank. Keep finding them.

Oh, you can keep finding them.

Why?

You see them right there as soon as you open the suitcase.

No, I keep finding them.

Why?

Huh?

Keep finding them.

Why?

Oh, yeah, because as soon as you open it, you're going to find them.

Let's stay in the front of this car and make sure she don't go anywhere. of trash bags, officers finally uncover a black suitcase. Just open the suitcase and we can be good after that.

Okay.

This s*** is more blanket still.

Can you cut it for me?

Can you cut it one more time?

And this is what s*** smells like.

What is that?

Huh?

What is that?

Dirty thing? No. Pull it out. I'm not pulling that? Dirty thing? No.

Open, pull it out.

I'm pulling it. Dirty thing for my husband.

My husband.

Pull the whole bag out.

I am.

My husband, he's saying it's a dirty thing.

It's a dirty luggage for my husband.

I am.

See? Take it out.

Take the bag out.

Take that bag out of there. I am. OK. Pull that bag out. There you go. Open that bag up.

Let me see close.

Let me see close.

Let me see close.

I want to see close.

Open it up, ma'am.

I did it.

I'm going the whole thing.

Open that up, ma'am. I did it. Unroll the whole thing. Open that up.

Open that up.

What the f***?

Get the f*** in! Put your hands up! Don't you f***ing move!

Oh my God, hold on, hold on.

Turn over! Turn over!

You're under arrest!

Turn over right now! You're under arrest! Don't you move!

Don't you move!

Put your hand behind your back.

Put your hand behind your back.

What I do?

What the f***?

It's my mom! What the f***?

What the f***?

What I do?

What I do?

Give me your other hand!

Now! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it!

Get up!

On your feet, roll over! Sit on your butt!

Stand up!

Please don't, no, please don't!

I swear to God if you move, so help me! Can you please not arrest her? Please don't arrest her! Please don't need to have it. We got two in custody right now, but we need a supervisor. Please don't, no, please don't arrest her.

I swear to God, if you move, so help me.

Can y'all please not arrest her?

Please don't arrest her.

She don't have anything to do with nothing. She really don't have anything to do with nothing.

I will give y'all everything that everybody...

I don't want her. With both women in custody, the officers struggle to process the horror they've just witnessed.

No, stay.

Hey, no, no, no. Calm down. Calm down.

Relax.

Back up.

I've heard sit down.

Sit down.

Sit down.

I know.

Relax.

Relax.

Relax.

Excuse me.

You relax.

BB, just relax, BB.

Keep your mouth closed I didn't give you permission to talk sit down and be quiet you okay Calm down I need you to focus focus in focus on her hey get over there with her put Put your mask on. Put your mask on. All right.

Put your mask on.

Mask up.

The undies?

Gloves, gloves, everything.

Everybody should have gloves and a mask on.

This is some man, yo.

What's in there, bro? It's a baby, yo. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Please, please. Relax, bro. I'm here. I need you to breathe. I need you to breathe. I need you to breathe. I'm sorry. Good evening. Okay.

I need you to breathe, okay?

I'm good. I'm sorry.

Don't worry about it.

Can I ask you a question?

No!

I'm sorry. I just want to ask you one more question.

There's nothing for me to talk about with you. Do you understand that? I know. Do you understand that? Do you understand that? We'll get to that point, but right now you need to be quiet. This is not a game. No, no, no, absolutely not. No, no, no, absolutely not. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I'm not going to. No ma'am. No ma'am. We're not going to take that road. We're not going to take that road. You're going to sit here and we're going to wait. Yeah. We're going to get to that point.

But don't you say another word. Don't you say another word. Thompson, are you OK?

I'm good.

Are you sure?

He's not OK.

I'm good.

I didn't ask you to talk. I'm not asking you to do with this. Just stop. For your sake, stop speaking. But I'm gonna have to speak to y'all anyway. Okay. But I'm not asking you to speak to me now. I've told you multiple times to be quiet.

I'm sorry.

You ran from me, you made me chase you. I'm giving you a chance to rest and calm down.

I didn't know that was the deal. Okay. The officer takes the opportunity to walk away and regain his composure, but the emotional aftershock is hard to contain.

Oh Allah, I seek the refuge in you from the whisperings of an accursed devil

who whispers into the hearts of men.

Can I talk to you for a second?

No.

Yes.

No.

Yes. Please, I'm not ready. Are you okay? I'm good, I'm good. I. Yes. No. Yes.

Please, I'm not ready.

Are you okay?

I'm good, I'm good.

Excuse me.

Wait, wait.

All right.

Stop.

Don't take a break.

Go over there.

Go in.

Excuse me.

Where?

Excuse me.

Ma'am, ma'am, stop talking to us.

Be quiet.

Stop talking. We'll talk to you when we need to. Please be quiet. I'm not gonna lie. I'm scared to look. Please be quiet.

Just turn around.

So what do you mean, you like picking me up?

Oh no. Get her out of here.

Get her out of here.

Get up.

Get up.

No.

No.

No.

More officers begin to arrive and can only guess at what has the other officers in such a sickened state. I'm gonna say, pepper spray happened. No.

That baby's not back.

Oh, what the f***?

Hey, I... Come back.

Uh...

Get the meds for her, Poole.

Okay, get her...

It looks like a kid that's curled up in there.

I don't want to look, man.

Walk with me. Now.

Back up to look. What?

Nope.

Just wait.

Hold up a minute.

Something just happened there.

They're not okay.

They're not okay.

I wasn't okay. That's why I took off.

I sat there and I dug through that stuff the whole time. Since I seen who you was, I took off running too.

So no, they not the police.

They took the car and they couldn't take it out

in front of the police.

I've been standing around with bodies in my car.

It's all done now, I'm gonna take this.

We need to verify.

We don't know what this is.

Oh my God. I we need to verify we don't know what this is What is this place? Oh Jesus

Little girl, right?

Take a walk take a walk. Take a walk.

I'm good.

Stay in there.

No, I'm thinking- I can't vision it. I can't vision it. What the f*** is messing my head up? I can't vision it.

After telling the tow truck driver his services will no longer be needed, officers make the difficult decision to get a closer look in order to confirm what lies beneath the maggot covered blanket.

I can lift it up, it doesn't really bother me, but it's gotta be a three or four year old kid.

Let me get it, my gloves are dirty.

The problem is the body is this thin.

It's in a bent position, yes.

Oh my God, that's a five. That's a five. That's a little white child. 100%.

It's got a girl, female clothes, right?

Put it.

Come here.

It almost looks like it has the pigmentation, like Michael Jackson had.

That's right.

So homicide's going to have to come out, definitely coming out for this. There's no way they're not.

Right. ME is going to have to come out, definitely coming out for this. There's no way they're not. Right. Probably.

ME's gonna have to come here.

Probably warrants for the house.

I mean yeah, 100%. Well they're gonna have to find who this kid is.

The shrunk that skin is too. Probably been a while.

Oh it's been wrapped in a sheet for, I don't know how long. I'm not a medical examiner, but I just remember the camera stolen.

Right.

But this is this is

at least a week.

I mean, I I've seen some stuff, but it just sucks. It's like, I don't know. I guess it hits him harder than me. So I'm just a well, I've had some stuff, but it's just all, cause it's like, I don't know, I guess it hits him harder than me. Cause I'm just a, I've had trauma earlier on, but basically like my daughter turns five Saturday.

You know what I mean? This is a hundred percent a five-year-old kid.

What they've uncovered is just the beginning of a dark and tragic case with more horrors and buried truths still waiting to be uncovered. For now, the decision is made to take both women to the police station.

Stand up.

Where I'm going at?

We're gonna be going to the precinct.

For what?

Ma'am, stand up. Enough. Stand up.

Walk.

Be good.

You are okay. You know you don't be with me. You are okay, BB. Just be good. Just be good. I'm going to tell the truth.

Just be good.

Come here and stand over here. Just stand here and lean up against the car, OK?

Ma'am, you can talk to whoever you need to talk to.

Ma'am.

I just wanted to say why she was reacting the way she is. She mentally retarded.

She really don't want anything to do with this.

You can talk to anybody you need to talk to back at the precinct, OK?

That's how we're going to do this, all right?

OK, I'm sorry.

I don't have nothing. I'm clean.

Ma'am, can you stop talking, please? Enough. Enough. You just keep talking. You just keep talking. When I told you to stop talking, you just keep talking. Hold on, get the bag off her.

My phone is in there.

Don't cut my bag.

Don't cut it off. Relax.

Don't cut my bag. My phone is in there.

Ma'am, it would be in your best interest not to move when I take your handcuff off.

Take the bag off her.

Put the bag. Now. Get in the car.

I'm going to put you in the car.

That's your choices.

Can I have my bag though?

I don't care.

Get in the car.

My phone is in the car.

Get in the car.

Your bag will be with you.

Okay.

What is she diagnosed with?

I don't know, bag. I don't care. Get in the car. My phone is in the car. Your bag will be with you.

What is she diagnosed with?

I don't know, but she can't read.

She can't anything.

Like, she's totally retarded.

Like, she don't know how to explain.

Just because she can't read doesn't mean she's retarded.

No, I'm telling you, like, I don't have anything to do with anything. You got anything on you? No ma'am. Alright.

There's $20 in my bra.

In your bra?

Yes ma'am.

Where?

On the side I think.

What is this?

Part of your underwear?

It's a bead chain.

Part of your underwear?

No ma'am.

It's like a waist bead.

For what?

You can rip it. Just pull it and rip it. Like, why are you right there? Yeah.

Sorry, is it just a bead? Is it just a bead?

Yes, ma'am.

Just rip it.

They're gonna have to take it off

when they get to the precinct.

I just wanna make sure it's nothing else.

That's why I said just rip it.

All right, go ahead.

She's got $20 right here. to understand the reason for her arrest, Bibi appears confused and continues to demand answers.

So how many years was it?

Ma'am, if I'm gonna ask you that question, about three, four times, and I done told you the same answer about three, four times. I'll tell you again. You are in police custody. You are going to be sitting right there in handcuffs

with your bag right there until somebody with an equal rank that knows that

was out there with this call or somebody ranks higher than me comes to me and tells me to

do something else.

So get comfortable, relax, you're going to be here for a while is what it is.

Sorry.

So what's my right?

So you're just going to lock somebody up with no right? Ma'am.

You know my right? Ma'am. What's your first? So you just gonna lock somebody up with no right? Ma'am. Not my right.

Ma'am, what's your first name?

Khazadi.

Khazadi? Yes.

It's Khazadi.

Do I kill somebody?

Ma'am?

Do I kill somebody?

I don't know.

So why?

For what I do know is, you're gonna be in handcuffs in that chair until someone says otherwise. I don't got no one, so why I'm on that list? What's your last name? Cassady. What's your last name?

Chebolar.

Okay, both of those are very hard to pronounce, so I'm just gonna call you madam. And I'm sorry about that.

So now, so you are gonna like me

and frame me for something you can not tell me.

I didn't frame you with anything. I'm not Baltimore County. I'm one person.

I'm just a guy on a machine.

Okay. You telling me...

My hand is clean. I'm clean. Right?

Do you need hand sanitizer? Is that what we're asking about? You are detained.

For what?

Until one of somebody out there, you understand I'm backup, right? You can ask me a thousand times, but I can't tell you what I don't know. Like, there's not going to be some fairy that comes to the wall and says, here, Officer Bowling, boop, here's the information that she's asking for. I ain't got it.

I'm on got it. Okay, do you want, I'm on that, right? ...window.

Everything's on that.

Okay, tell me that.

That's like a loop.

What exactly is that? That's like a loop.

If I get sick in here, it's gonna happen to, if I get sick, if I didn't make no phone call

from nobody, I'm not okay. Do you need water?

I'm not crazy. I didn't say you were.

I asked you, did you need water?

That's what I asked.

Yes, I need water.

Okay, I can try to arrange for that for you. In a separate room, the officer waiting with Nicole informs her that he can't speak with her about the case. Left in silence, she begins talking to herself.

It was okay.

She didn't even argue about it. I'm all like, what am I arguing for?

Just open it and let them look at me.

I should have known that question. So stupid, so stupid, so stupid. I don't want to cry so bad.

I can't even cry because this is love. You know, this is love. I'm gonna wrestle with it like an anchor because it's love, you know?

It's love.

Nicole, appearing to wrestle with guilt, will soon have an opportunity to explain the grim discovery. Meanwhile, Bibi makes a separate request.

So can I go to the hospital then? Huh? Can I go to the hospital then?

What is your health complaint, madam? Can I go to the hospital then? What's wrong with you? Because I'm not hospital done. What is your health complaint, madam?

I got a hospital done.

What's wrong with you?

My knee hurts, I'm not feeling good.

Your knee hurts, you're not feeling well.

I'm not feeling well. You're conscious and breathing, so to me you look fine.

I'm not fine.

Okay, then what's wrong?

I'm not fine.

Okay, then let's discuss what's wrong so I can get you the help you need. The officer informs his supervisor of Bibi's complaint, but when he returns for details, he's met with an interesting response.

How bad is your knee?

What you saying?

Can I have a look at my knee, I'll be done.

Oh, wow.

That's because my knee was too hard.

What knee is hurting?

This one!

Okay, show me where you're hurting. This one! Okay, show me where you're hurting. I'm not mad at you or your bingo! Okay.

Look at that! What is that?

What is that? Look at that!

Okay. Bibi is then informed that if she chooses to go to the hospital, she'll need to wear shackles.

I can walk.

No.

I can take that. No, if you go to the hospital, you're getting shackles on.

Point blank period.

You're getting a pain in the butt.

That's not up for debate.

For the bed?

Yeah. Do you want to go to the hospital or not?

Nah.

I changed my mind. All right. Alright. Alright, mine has been changed. I bet you that I know my babe. I'm gonna run, if they're questioning for something, I know my babe.

But they better let me go.

Oops, what?

I'm sorry, man, the language barrier, you gotta slow down. Your accent is really thick, so I'm trying to please sit down I Can I sit down? I've been sitting for a long time, I gotta stretch my legs. I'm going to tell you one more time to sit down, I'm going to put you back in the chair.

Your choice.

I'm going to sit down.

Madam, if I get out of this chair, I'm going to put you back in that chair and you're not

going to like me.

So I'm going to ask you one more time to sit down.

I'm standing, like, I'm acting, I'm acting. Let me make a phone call, let me see what I'm here for

and then you guys are holding me with nothing.

So you thought standing up was gonna solve that problem? No, absolutely not. You are detained. End of story, end of message.

My name is Officer Bowling and I approve this message. Bowling, you're not Bowling, man. My name is Officer Bowling and I approve this message.

Bowling, you're not Bowling.

My name is Officer Bowling. I got a name tag on my chest that says the exact same thing that I said.

It's not Bowling.

It's Bowling.

It's not Bowling.

Okay.

In the other room, Nicole continues talking to herself,

visibly wrestling with her own thoughts. Keep it punished, keep it punished, keep it punished. Is there such thing as a death penalty still?

Certain state has it.

Not this one?

I don't think so.

We need to have it. I don't think if I would've known,

I would've ran before a truck could even go back. I was even polite, like,

excuse me, can you cut this for me?

F*** it idiot bro.

The scent of decay clings to Nicole, growing so strong that it becomes unbearable for others in the station. One officer fills the room with an odor spray, but when that fails to help, he brings in an air scrubber

and tries the spray a second time. Soon after, a decision is made to transfer the two women to another facility for interviews with detectives. So I got your bag.

You got your shoes on. All you gotta do now is get in the car.

And we on the road.

So-

Why they wanna talk to me?

Why, why, why they gotta-

Would you like to stand up or would you like us to drag you to the car? Your choice.

You an adult.

Why they wanna talk to me?

Ride around.

Stand up.

Walk.

To the car. Uh uh.

I am going.

That's fine.

You said you had knee pain so I was going to make sure you can walk fine. Come on.

Give me my bag please.

Nope.

I want my bag. I don't care what you want. Can I have my things? Safe travels, let's go. Like I said, if something happened to me tonight,

it's gonna be, it's gonna be war.

Yes, ma'am.

I hate it here.

Back at the scene, officers standing watch over the body discuss the tragic case and question the one thing weighing on everyone's mind.

It was pretty fucked up about this.

Right.

Really, everybody we saw, it's pretty fucked up right now.

Well, I mean, I saw it. You saw it? I saw it.

I ain't trying to look.

But it's-

That's the way he's caught all these grown men

all fucked up. No, I mean, well, I was fucked up before I got this job, but...

I didn't mean it like that.

No.

I'm just saying it's weird that I could understand if this child was younger, like baby stage, but it's not. So, I'm like, it's kind of dumbfounded, like, what the hell? Like, I'd love to just know the reasoning.

Same, I'm so curious.

The whole story.

Yeah, like what?

A lot of people's story.

Like, what the hell?

Like, how did this even come to be?

Nicole enters the interrogation room with much to explain. She tells detectives she was in Essex to meet a man for prostitution while Bebe waited in the car. She claimed she's been aware of the foul smell, but assumed it was a dead rat.

Me and my homegirl was doing so much to try to get the smell, get the smell, get the smell, but we never noticed it was coming from the back

because we don't sit in the back.

How'd you try to get rid of the smell?

We always thought it was coming through the front of the car, so we got it power washed.

You power washed the car, check it smell like?

The engine.

You starting to understand why this sounds a little ridiculous?

After speaking with detectives, investigators note it was clear that Bebe was mentally challenged and had no knowledge of the incident. They contact her mother and arrange for her to be taken home. As for Nicole, her vague story isn't enough to satisfy investigators, given the second horrifying discovery made at the crime scene. I want you to help me out to find out how these children ended up like this.

Okay. Okay.

Children?

Mm-hmm.

Both?

Mm-hmm. Oh. Oh.

The discovery of a second child came only after homicide detectives began sorting through Nicole's belongings. Though the signs had been present from the very start.

Me and my kids were literally living in the car. Like, we were just leaving around the bodies in my car.

It was okay.

And the whole time I had them.

In a black and yellow plastic bin, buried beneath the bags and the suitcase containing the little girl were the aged remains of a small boy. The child's body had been wrapped in blankets and placed in multiple layers of trash bags

similar to the girl. Their relation to Nicole comes as even more of a shock.

Do you recognize this person at all? Who's that? Who's that? That's their mother. Who's that? Their mother. That's their mother?

Mm-hmm.

Who are they?

That's when I had them.

If you look at them when I had them

So that's who? That's Chaske. And that's who?

Remember her. When you look at them when I had him, when she had him, that shocked me. And that's who? Remember her.

Okay. When you look at him when she had him, and when I had him, he probably got this picture off her page, but it definitely came from mine. Because if you look at him when she had him,

he was very not taken care of. You look at him when I had him,

he was very well taken care of. I welcome you here. Seven-year-old Joshlyn Marie James Johnson and five-year-old Larry Darnell O'Neal were each left in Nicole's care two years ago by her sister, Dachelle, who claimed she was unable to care for them at the time. Investigators also learned Dachelle has an active case with the Baltimore City Department of Social Services

for an eight-month-old infant who was temporarily taken into their care given the current investigation.

She didn't take care of kids.

She didn't do to them what happened to them.

Yeah, but it, I, okay, so she's a better person for leaving, okay? And any kind of predicament, like she knew the predicament wasn't okay. She knew the predicament wasn't okay. She knew the predicament was f**ked up. She knew, like she left her kids literally

with me selling my a**. She left her kids in the room.

She thought you were gonna take care of them, I guess.

I never told her I was going to. I never asked her to.

Come on, bro, I used to have to yell at the mother about washing them. I used to have to yell at the mother about feeding them. Like I used to have to yell at her about everything.

Despite portraying herself as the better caregiver, Nicole couldn't even spell the young girl's name. She also couldn't recall either child's birthday. Whatever belief remained that she'd shown love or responsibility would soon be shattered by the grim truths surrounding their deaths.

She lowers herself to the floor as the interview continues.

Well, let me ask you, let me tell you this, right? We spoke to your sister and a bunch of your family members, right?

Mm-hmm.

I don't know that everything that you're saying

is making sense.

What do you mean? Well, I'm just saying.

What do you mean?

What did y'all speak about?

Y'all spoke about her leaving her children?

Huh?

Y'all spoke about her leaving her children?

Well, we spoke about a lot of stuff.

And of course it's all gonna be against me, huh? Oh, I mean, I don't know.

Even my mom?

Oh, yeah, leave that to your mom.

He tells Nicole he won't discuss his conversations with her family, then steps out to check on her paperwork, leaving her alone to imagine what they may have shared behind her back.

I'm not gonna tell you what they say. What they say? What they say? what they say, what they say, what they say, I done bust my for all of them all my life. My mother, my mother, lady, you had me out here selling my, you told me not to give that girl her kids.

I would have gave them back. I said, this weekend when I'm coming back, I'm giving her her kids.

You told me not to.

They about to put me under the jail. They so selfish and so wrong. There's a group of people here, yeah, all family, just pick on me backwards. They so where they been at when I been growing up. I guess I ran away or something.

Like, watch, I already know that's what they said. Now I'm not talking anymore. Now since I'm a liar and since I'm a this and since I'm a that and since I'm a this, I ain't said anything else. Like, come on, bro.

All the kids that I've been around in all my life, I'ma wait until my niece and nephew to kill one. I've been raising kids all my life so much, they thought they were actually mine. I'm gonna wait until my niece and nephew to kill some.

While Nicole earlier stated she was living in her car, investigators located a hotel where she'd recently been staying. In the room, they find two stuffed animals, as well as two rose bears, one blue and one pink, with ribbons around their necks

that read, always and forever.

I think they're like memorials.

That's what it seems like.

That's what it sounds like.

Always and forever.

The website though, and all kinds of different ones,

but even with that little ribbon, it's like, we just think it's just a morbid thing. I mean, it's a boy and a girl.

Yeah, is that for them?

The bears.

That's so freaking creepy.

With the exception of the stuffed animals, there are no children's clothing, belongings, or items to indicate any children had been present. This, along with their advanced state of decay, leaves many questions as to how long the children had been in the trunk of the car and what led to their deaths.

Can I talk, can I talk through, like I need my mother to be a part of this conversation.

What?

Because she's a lot of reason for the conversation.

But you're an adult, what's going on?

No, like I wanna talk, but I wanna talk to her. Like, I want to tell her, like I want to talk to her.

Did she cause this?

Huh?

Did she cause this?

I want to talk to her and everything will come out and I just need to talk to her.

The detective tells Nicole they won't allow her to speak with her mother just yet, and reminds her that it's important to tell her story

to investigators first. When did she? She reached out to me, she barely did give me a care. And then we were supposed to arrange for her to get them back and she, hey, maybe next weekend. Like, she didn't even care. They were forcing her. They were forcing her to even say anything.

Text messages obtained from Nicole's phones reveal multiple conversations with her sister, DeShelle, who sent Nicole money and checked in on the children frequently. She asked several times to see them, eager for them to meet their new sibling.

However, Dachelle claims Nicole blocked her from seeing them. Now, for the first time, Nicole begins to explain the reason why, beginning with what happened to her niece, Joshlyn.

It was really an accident.

Okay, what happened?

I got beaten. It was really an accident. Okay, what happened? I gave her a beating.

I can't hear you, what?

I gave her a beating. Mm-hmm.

And then the next thing I know she just wasn't saying anything or nothing or nothing or nothing.

Okay. So you gave her a beating? and then she was not responsive anymore?

Like it was mistakes. I took care of them children so good. It was a mistake. I was just trying to discipline her. Explain to me how it happened. She got in trouble for something one day that I didn't pay her for.

Like what?

Stealing something or going in the refrigerator or doing something or something and she did it again and she did it again. And then the last time it was just like, and I was probably more frustrated than I should have been with life period, with everything, with why they leave me with the kids, why nobody's helping me, why nobody's calling me, where is their mom, where is my family, like what, like I...

And then what happened?

I told you, Peter.

How?

Huh? With what?

I don't even think it was anything.

I think it's just my hands.

Investigators interviewed a resident at one of the hotels Nicole frequented, who reported that Nicole often used harsh language and regularly cursed at the children, particularly the girl. Another witness recalled hearing Nicole

abusing Joshlynn through the thin walls and at times, hearing the child yelling for her to stop. You were upset because she was taking things

like from the refrigerator and stuff. She was doing all kinds of stuff.

Like she was taking stuff,

like she was getting the boy in trouble.

She was just doing all kinds of stuff.

And you disciplined her.

Yes. And it went too far.

Okay.

How many times do you think you might hit her? I don't know, but I know she fell. Fell on what?

On the floor.

Was she standing on something? No, she was just standing up straight. Okay. And where did you hit her?

I just started doing it.

Okay. Like punching her in the head?

No.

Or? No.

Or?

I think I maybe slapped her in the face, but I didn't punch her in the head. Like it was more like me hitting on her body

and then she fell.

How did she fall?

Backwards, forward, sideways, on her head?

I know she hit her head, but I can't remember exactly how it was that she fell.

She hit her head? Okay. Do you remember where on the head?

No.

Did she hit her head on something other than the floor?

No, but the floor was extremely hard.

The floor was extremely hard?

And I was so scared. Like, I was so scared. Okay, what did you, floor was extremely hard?

And I was so scared. Like I was so scared.

What did you, when she went to the floor, was she crying or was she quiet?

She was quiet.

Quiet. And did you, what did you do after that?

I tried. I just tried to bump her chest. Like I was bumping on her chest really, really hard. Like, I thought maybe she was like, I don't know. Like I'm just trying, like I was just bumping on her chest. I was just trying to get her back.

Like I was just.

Okay.

And then what did you do next?

I laid in the bed with her.

You laid her in the bed and laid next to her? Where was the boy at this time?

Asleep in the other bed.

Okay.

Where?

I stayed in that room with her.

When do you think that was?

I told you, maybe last year.

And then what did you do with her body after that?

I just put it in a suitcase and I kept her.

Joshlyn's death is believed to have occurred around May of 2020, approximately 14 months before the traffic stop. Despite this, Nicole continued texting DeShelle as though Joshlyn was still alive. In April of 2021, DeShelle even thanked Nicole, writing,

"'Thank you for taking care of them so well.'" Nicole admits she continued traveling from hotel to hotel, carrying the young girl in the suitcase, eventually storing her in the trunk of the car. Jocelyn's body arrived at the medical examiner's office still wrapped in a comforter that contained a cigarette butt.

Numerous bruises were found on her body, but an exact cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced stage of decomposition. Still, investigators ruled her death a homicide, citing evidence of physical abuse and neglect. With Joshlyn's fate uncovered,

investigators turned to what happened to her nephew, five-year-old Larry, whom Nicole refers to by the name Stink.

So help me explain the other child what happened. So he was still with you when the girl's now in the suitcase in the car.

He didn't even want to go anywhere. I was like, you get that's why they said he talked to my family. My family don't know me. Like you can ask all my friends, like as much as I tried to push him off or I wanted to drop him off and I knew I needed to drop him off,

he just wanted to be me.

So, what led to the next incident with the other child?

I don't know, like I honestly don't know because it was like one minute we was playing and then one minute it was just like, it was like we were playing, minute we was playing and then one minute it was just like, it was like we were playing like we was playing. I think, I think something hit him in the leg.

Yeah, but that wouldn't cause him to die. Why would he die though?

I thought it was like a main artery or something.

Okay, well explain that to me.

Yeah, what happened? I don't know, but then I, I know I saw him bleeding in his leg. Where at on his leg? I don't mean, right here somewhere. Inside of his left thigh? Yeah, but I did like. Was the blood

dripping? Was it? Only way that I noticed it, honestly I didn't even notice it until I started The detective offers Nicole a cigarette and allows her to smoke in the interrogation room and continues our story. What caused the boy's injury with the blood in his thigh?

I can't remember what exactly he was playing with. And I think I yelled, I think I swung on him for playing with it. But I can't remember what-

Is there a chance you hit him afterwards and?

I didn't see the thing.

I didn't, I told you-

But you said you swung on him.

Yeah, cause he was playing with something. I didn't see the thing that was in his leg.

It was just like... And what was it?

I never even looked at it. I never even took his pants off. I just seen the blood.

And I yelled at him.

Well, I didn't yell at him when I seen the blood. I yelled at him.

I don't even remember what it was. Larry's body arrived at the medical examiner's office still wearing Paw Patrol pajamas. His body was also covered in bruises and while superficial wounds were found on his legs, they showed no signs of deep bleeding. However, internal bleeding was noted

around both his knee and elbow, suggesting trauma before death. Like his sister, Larry's advanced state of decomposition made it impossible to determine an exact cause of death. Although she claims not to know exactly what caused his injury,

she clearly remembers what happened next.

He was just like getting drowsy, like just getting drowsy.

Like the last thing he said

So the last thing he said

He said honey can you lay me down

What's that? He said can I lay him down. Can you lay him down? Yes, cause he was sitting up in the chair He said honey can you lay me down And I said yeah honey And I went to smoke and I turned back around and it was like, stay, stay, stay, stay, and he would not answer me.

Where did you lay him down at? On the back seat of the car.

Okay.

And this was about two months ago? Or was it more?

This month is what?

Well, it's the very end of July.

I think May.

Okay.

About two months ago.

Yes.

Well, this shit's been sitting in there for months

and months and months and months and months.

In June of 2021, Nicole sent a video to her friend showing the black and yellow tote in the back of her car and spoke about getting odor absorber. According to Nicole, the child would have already been deceased at this time

and would soon join his sister in the trunk of the car. Investigators later discovered that neither child had ever seen a doctor in Maryland, had never been enrolled in school, and neither had been reported missing. One additional detail raised further concern.

Both children appeared unusually small for their ages.

It's gotta be a three or four year old kid.

Me and Aunt Molly.

The girl was, according to your timeline, about six years old when this happened? Yes. And she only weighed 18 pounds.

You think that's after all it is? Because they were not tiny. Like you seen them in the pictures. The pictures that y'all printed out

are the pictures that I took. The boy was only 21 pounds.

I don't see how, cause they ate all the time. They ate all the time. They ate all the time. They ate everything.

Maybe, I mean, is that maybe a contributing factor here?

No, I didn't.

If some kind of trauma happened, would it be made worse?

Yeah, I didn't starve them though. I didn't starve them.

According to doctors, however, it would have taken several months of malnourishment for the children to attain their low weights. The investigation concluded that both minor children lost their lives due to the neglect and abuse inflicted on them by their aunt Nicole.

I just can't believe they came up here and made it seem like I was some type of bad person. Like I was some type of troubled person. Like yes, I've been depressed all my life because of one of them mamas. But I can't believe that she really came up here

and made it seem like I was a bad person.

One month after her arrest, Nicole's mother emailed Baltimore public officials, pleading with them to intervene and protect her remaining grandchild. The email additionally criticized social workers and later indicted on 14 criminal counts. The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation.

The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation. The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation. The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation.

The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation. The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation. The family's legal team was also involved in the investigation. though all have since been deleted. Following her arrest, 33-year-old Nicole Michelle Johnson was held without bond

and later indicted on 14 criminal counts. The charges included two counts each of first-degree child abuse resulting in death, first-degree child abuse involving severe physical injury, second-degree child abuse, second-degree assault, neglect of a minor, failure to report the death of a minor,

and unauthorized disposal of a body. She ultimately pleaded guilty on August 13th, 2024 to two counts of first-degree child abuse resulting in death. She was sentenced in February 2025 to life in prison, with all but 50 years suspended,

as well as an additional five years of supervised probation upon her of supervised probation upon her eventual release.