Amber Alert issued for Aja Johnson *deceased*

[Undeniable Truth]

A 37 year old Geronimo woman was found murdered last night, and her 7 year old daughter is missing.

Aja (pronounce "Asia") Johnson is being described as approximately 4 feet tall and weighing 65lbs. She has brown hair, brown eyes, and a thin frame:

She is believed to have been taken her mother's estranged husband, 47 year old Lester Hobbs. He is 5'9, 180 lbs and has hazel eyes. He is not Aja's father. In fact, Aja's biological father was granted emergency custody of Aja back in November. Aja's now deceased mother, Tonya Hobbs, was only supposed to have supervised visitation with Aja and it was stipulated by the court that Aja was not to be around Lester Hobbs. It is being said that Hobbs no longer sports the goatee shown in the photo below, but that he does have a mustache:

It is believed that they could be traveling in a white, 1992 Toyota Paseo (similar to shown below) with an Oklahoma license plate of 577-BPW. According to reports, the rear passenger window of the car has been replaced with a sheet of plastic and the car has no hubcaps.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11874387

[carolinablue]

oh no. oh please no. not another one. just look at his photo, you can read ugliness and depravity all over him. i'm heartsick because i think we all know what has happened to this angel. i hope i'm wrong, i pray i just have a nasty and suspicious mind. God be with this child.

[backlash]

I can't find anything that says why she couldn't have Aja around this guy. I can speculate, but I would really like to know WHY...

[Undeniable Truth]

I can't find anything on that either, backlash. A search of Tonya Hobbs on http://www.oscn.net shows the order under her divorce proceedings. It simply states that Aja was not to be alone with her mother or with Lester Hobbs.

It was said that he was a convicted felon, so I looked him up on the DOC website as well. It shows a laundry list of convictions (mostly felonies) dating back to 1983, though none of the crimes listed are sexual in nature.

http://docapp065p.doc.state.ok.us/se...chema=PORTAL30

[Silvahalo]

He looks like a mean SOB......Aja, I hope you are found alive and well very soon.

[sleepinwithangels]

Law enforcement officials believe this child to be in grave or immediate danger.

The child has unknown medical problems.

From the Amber Alert post on Myspace…

This is looking no bueno already..Medical Issues?

I searched for this car on I20 all the way home from Fort Worth….of course I saw nothing but I couldn’t help but hope..

[Rockin Ma]

Geronimo, OK, United States (AHN) - Oklahoma's Comanche County has issued an amber alert to find a missing eight-year-old girl believed to have been abducted by the alleged killer of her mother.


The search area includes Lubbock County in Texas as Aja Johnson and Lester Hobbs, 47, were reportedly spotted in Austin and Brady.

Aja, who is four feet tall and weighs 65 pounds, was last seen in her home Sunday night, when the body of her mother, Tonya Hobbs, 37, was found dead in her RV by police.

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/artic...#ixzz0dg0QwTsB

[Rockin Ma]

The father of a missing Oklahoma girl is issuing an urgent plea for her safe return.

The 7-year-old's mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found dead late Sunday. Aja Johnson is believed to be with her mother's estranged husband, an ex-convict now wanted for questioning in Hobbs' death.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says Lester Hobbs and Aja were last seen Saturday evening. She says "time is of the essence" in finding the girl.

At a news conference yesterday, Aja's father said through tears that if Hobbs or anyone knows where the child is, "please take her to a safe spot." He promised to pick his daughter up, with no questions asked.

Oklahoma authorities say law enforcement agencies also have been alerted in Texas, California and Oregon, where Lester Hobbs has relatives.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?se...rld&id=7239215

[Undeniable Truth]

"She's only been 7 years old for 20 days."~~Aja's father.

http://feeds.newsok.tv/services/play...id=63280992001

[backlash]

"She's only been 7 years old for 20 days."~~Aja's father.

That really bothers me, for some reason...

[Undeniable Truth]

In August, Tonya Hobbs wrote in a court petition that Lester Hobbs once threatened to "hit my daughters in the head with a hammer and kill them."

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...0_hrimgs464694

As of today they are expanding their search to the states of California, Texas and Oregon as Hobbs reportedly has relatives in those states.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11874387

[Whisper]

UPDATE 1 HOUR AGOAmber Alert: 7-Year-Old Aja Johnson Believed to Be With Accused Murderer

A 7-year-old Oklahoma girl who needs medicine for a psychological condition is believed to have been kidnapped by a man prosecutors charged today with the murder of the girl's mother this weekend, officials said today.

An Amber alert has been issued for a missing 7-year-old girl whose mother was later found dead inside an Oklahoma home. She is believed to be with Lester HObbs, her mother's estranged husband who is wanted for questioning in her murder.
(Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)Comanche County prosecutors charged Lester Hobbs, 46, with first-degree murder in the beating death of his estranged wife Tonya Hobbs, whose body was found Sunday in her camper. They also charged Hobbs with kidnapping of Aja Johnson, who is not his biological child.

Aja's abduction is believed to have occurred sometime before 9 p.m. Sunday, when her mother's body was found by authorities at the Comanche County Sheriff's Office.

Tonya Hobbs' murder comes just five months after she filed for a protective order against her estranged husband who she said threatened to kill her if she ever left him. While an Oklahoma court initially granted the request, the case was later dismissed because neither Tonya Hobbs or Lester Hobbs showed up in court. Earlier today, attorney John Branch, who is representing Aja Johnson's father, J.J. Johnson, told ABCNews.com that without her medication the young girl's behavior will become erratic. Aja suffers from attention deficit disorder and sleep deprivation, said Branch, and without her medicine is likely to misbehave.

In a press conference today, Aja's father made a tearful plea for her safe return and reiterated his daughter's need for medical treatment.

"I'm here to make a plea to everybody who's listening. I need my little girl back," Johnson said. "She's missing, and I love her dearly. She needs her medication."

Authorities and Aja's family are worried the young girl could be in danger because of Hobbs' violence history.

According to public records, Hobbs has been in and out of prison for various charges, ranging from a conviction for burglary in 1983 to driving under the influence. Most recently Hobbs servied a 20-month prison sentence in 2005 for assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Aja and her mother were visiting Hobbs at his sister's home prior to the murder and disappearance, according to authorities. Also traveling with Aja and her mother was Aja's older sister, who is not missing.

http://www.newsrunner.com/display-ar...cused+Murderer

[Whisper]

developments in the desperate search for Aja Johnson. Her mother was killed. She was kidnapped. Now cops are searching for this little girl`s stepfather. Another case.

Authorities have charged Aja Johnson`s stepfather, Lester Hobbs, with her kidnapping and the first-degree murder of her mother, Tonya Hobbs.

Prosecutors say Lester beat his estranged wife to death.

An Amber Alert issued Sunday night for little Aja after mom was found dead in Lester`s RV, parked outside a relative`s home in Geronimo, Oklahoma. Investigators believe the child is with him as we speak. Yesterday, someone reported seeing the two in Brady, Texas.

J.J. JOHNSON, FATHER OF AJA: Everybody who`s listening and every parent who`s out there, I need my little girl back. Anyone out there who know where she is, please return her. Take her to a safe spot. I`ll come and get her and see that she`s picked up with no questions asked.

REPORTER, "THE OKLAHOMAN": Well, as you reported, the charge filed in Comanche County against Lester Hobbs, first-degree murder and kidnapping. And we learned that Tonya Hobbs died of blunt force trauma to her body. Violent manner of the death.

The district attorney in Comanche County, Fred Smith, said one of the reasons for getting this filed quickly today was to get assistance from the FBI and the U.S. Marshal Service.

Reports indicate Tonya was visiting Lester in an attempt to reconcile. Here`s Tonya`s mom talking about the recent charges.ALICE DUNKIN, GRANDDAUGHTER MISSING: I never thought that he would go that far, you know. He`d beat her up and slapped her and black eye and all this, but I didn`t think he would go as far as murder.

This guy only got 20 months for assault for a deadly weapon. He shouldn`t even have been out of jail. But I can`t really read into why sometimes women stay in these relationships. I know there`s things about them I don`t understand. And I don`t want to talk about somebody in a different situation and say something in something I can`t understand. But I don`t know why they stay in these relationships.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...6/ijvm.01.html

[Whisper]

Store security photo shows wanted man with slaying victim CNN) -

- Investigators released photographs Wednesday showing a man wanted in the case of a slain woman and her missing 7-year-old daughter.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation released images taken by a security camera of 37-year-old Tonya Hobbs and her estranged husband, Lester Williams Hobbs, as they shopped for food just hours before Tonya Hobbs was killed.

Police have charged Lester Hobbs with murder in his estranged wife's death. They also have charged him with kidnapping Tonya Hobbs' daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson, the bureau said Wednesday.

"These new pictures show the suspect car that is now missing as well as what the suspect, Lester Hobbs, looks like and the clothes he may be wearing now," a bureau spokeswoman, Jessica Brown, said in a statement.

Investigators have asked anyone with information about Hobbs or Aja to call a new hotline number at 1-800-THE-LOST.

The images released Wednesday were taken about 5:15 p.m. Saturday at a store in Lawton, Oklahoma. Shortly after that, the couple and Aja apparently went to the home of Lester Hobbs' sister to eat, police said.

Hobbs was found dead in a parked RV the next day in Geronimo, Oklahoma. Her daughter has been missing since then.

"We've got to find that little girl," Special Agent Ray Homer of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said this week.

The girl has a medical condition that requires medication, police have said, though they declined to elaborate.

Lester Hobbs, 46, and Aja are presumed to be in Hobbs' car -- a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with an Oklahoma tag number 577-BPW, police said.

Police have searched for them in Oklahoma and Texas.

Lester and Tonya Hobbs were separated, but apparently Tonya Hobbs was visiting her estranged husband in an attempt to reconcile, Richard Goss, agent in charge of the state bureau of investigation's Lawton, Oklahoma, office, told reporters this week.

Lester Hobbs is not Aja's biological father, police said. He has an extensive criminal history, Goss said, without elaborating.

Aja's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City.

At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with Aja and keep the girl away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/01/27/...irl/index.html Theres a video at the link

[Undeniable Truth]

Authorities believe that the vehicle Hobbs was driving was spotted this evening in Oklahoma City. The tag had reportedly been changed to a different Oklahoma tag with the number 858-BPE.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=11892378

[Dakota Valkyrie]

he father of a 7-year-old Oklahoma girl believed to have been abducted by her slain mother's estranged husband violated a court order when he let the child make an unsupervised visit with the woman, an attorney said Thursday.
[...]

A Dec. 4 court order prohibited Tonya Hobbs from being alone with the girl and said the child could not be near Lester Hobbs, an ex-convict. But a lawyer for the girl's father, John J. Johnson of Oklahoma City, told The Associated Press that Johnson let Tonya Hobbs take Aja to a birthday party last Friday.

"He's kicking himself and blaming himself for letting these bad things happen," attorney John Branch said. "He's blaming himself for not living by the terms of the temporary order."

A judge granted Johnson temporary custody Nov. 6. A month later, the judge barred private visits between the girl and her mother and said the child had to avoid Lester Hobbs because Johnson feared Hobbs would not be a good influence on the girl, Branch said.

Johnson had recently come to believe Aja's mother was no longer seeing Hobbs, Branch said.
[...]

"At the beginning, they were together, but we don't know what's happened to the child since then," said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, who announced a $20,000 reward Thursday. "Time is not working in our favor."

Tonya Hobbs' mother, Alice Dunkin, said Lester Hobbs had previously threatened the family.

"He's got threats out that if anything happened to Tonya and it looked like he was going to jail, he'd come after her family," Dunkin told the AP.

In a petition for a protective order filed in August, Tonya Hobbs wrote that her husband vowed to kill her if she left him. "My husband has threatened to hit my daughters in the head with a hammer and kill them," she wrote.

But Branch said Thursday he and Johnson were unaware of any threats of violence or signs of physical abuse by Lester Hobbs.

"It's totally amazing to me all of this that's come out about what a bad actor he was," Branch said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8922046

[skeptik]

I wonder why he took her from the home if he just intended to murder her?

[Undeniable Truth]

My mind's all over the place on this one.

The pessimist in me drums up so many scenarios...mainly: 1) He may have been molesting her, or intending to molest her long before killing Aja's mother and taking her. Something went wrong and Tonya Hobbs ended up dead. Did she walk in on Lester with Aja?

Or 2) was it his usual spousal abuse that he took too far this time? Perhaps Aja witnessed him kill Tonya and he felt he couldn't leave that witness alive?

Johnson clings to hope his child is alive.

"Lester always seemed quite loving toward her,” Johnson said. "He seemed to favor that little girl, even more than his own.”

Tonya Hobbs’ mother, Alice Dunkin of Oklahoma City, characterized the relationship differently. She said Wednesday that Lester Hobbs hated Aja and was very mean to her. But she also said Lester Hobbs wanted to see Aja and his own daughter, Kerissa Hobbs, over the weekend because he had a court date on a DUI on Monday and feared he would be sent back to prison.

Read more: http://newsok.com/missing-geronimo-g...#ixzz0e0wsEWFD

[Whisper]

This isnt sounding very good I hope they find her soon but if hes already going down for murdering mom hes really got nothing to lose.Also theres a reason he wasnt allowed to be around her.Sad thing is this is another case of adults failing the child all 3 of them are at fault.

[Whisper]

Aja Johnson update: $15,000 reward offered in case of missing Oklahoma girl January 29, 10:55 PM

$15,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Lester Hobbs, who’s been charged with kidnapping 7-year-old Aja Johnson.

Hobbs has also been charged with the kidnap and murder of Aja’s mother, Tonya Hobbs.

The monetary reward is being offered by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma, according to KLTV.Aja is 4-feet tall, with brown eyes and brown hair and weighs about 65 pounds.

Lester Hobbs is 6-foot-1 and weighs about 190 pounds. He has green eyes, brown hair, and multiple tattoos, including wings on his chest and the word "Tony" on his left forearm. He was last seen driving a white 1995 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma license plate 577-BPW. Reports indicate the rear window may be broken out and the vehicle is missing hubcaps.

Anyone with information should call the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma City at (405) 231-4206.

http://www.examiner.com/x-1168-Crime...-Oklahoma-girl

[Whisper]

I hope to god shes someplace warm.B/c my daughter was supposed to fly here yesterday and couldnt b/c of ice storm and today and tomorrow again air ports shut down due to ice storm and snow.I cant help thinking about her and wondering where she is but Im getting a bad feeling as this drags on

[MadeaBecBec]

Tonya Hobbs 1992 Toyota Paseo

Praying for you Aja!

Since they suspect that Lester may travel through several states, why not a National Amber Alert, especially since they have photos to broadcast of everyone and the car!!??

[MadeaBecBec]

Authorities are focused on finding the 1992 Toyota driven by Hobbs.

At the same time, on the ground, officers once again go door to door in Geronimo.

While the search again turned up empty, investigators aren't giving up hope.

"We're glad Channel 4 was here providing us with helicopter support. We still hope we can get Hobbs found and get Aja back to her father," said Marc Crawford.

Investigators are still offering a 20 thousand dollar reward for information that leads to an arrest.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-...,2640273.story
Video from Chopper 4 Flying over the area......

[MadeaBecBec]

GERONIMO, Okla. — The U.S. Marshal’s Service has added its Sex Offender Investigation Unit to the search for a missing 7-year-old girl and her stepfather.

Law enforcement officers conducted a house-by-house search Wednesday for the missing girl and planned to check every home in the area, said Marc Crawford of the Sex Offender Investigation Unit.

An Amber Alert has been in effect since Jan. 24 for Johnson after her mother was found dead. Hobbs, 46, was charged Jan. 26 in Comanche County District Court with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Crawford said that the Sex Offender Unit became involved in the investigation after investigators received information that Hobbs could be sexually abusing the child.

The Marshal’s Service moved its newest command center trailer to Geronimo Sunday night. Crawford said the $1.3 million mobile command post, housed in Oklahoma City, serves the service for the western portion of the United States including Alaska and can be flown anywhere it is needed.

“It’s one of the best pieces of equipment we have to track criminals and sex offenders,” Crawford said.

Crawford said the command center is able to link local law enforcement with Internet to satellite television information hubs and information can be sent and received almost instantly.

http://enidnews.com/state/x168737694...r-missing-girl

Praying for you Aja!!

[Dakota Valkyrie]

Aja Johnson was beaten and bruised by her suspected abductor in August, according to a family friend who had sheltered the 7-year-old child and her mother at that time.

Lester William Hobbs, 46, the man wanted in connection with Aja’s apparent kidnapping and the slaying of his estranged wife, Tonya LeAnn Hobbs, "just went off” on the girl, bruising her "from her butt to the bottom of her knees,” said Sissy Miller, 26, of Blanchard.

"That poor child was bruised so badly she couldn’t even sit,” Miller said. "We took pictures and turned them into DHS. We told school officials, and they reported it, too, but we were just told there was nothing that could be done. Now look what’s happened.”
[...]

"I can’t even sleep at night,” said Miller, who is taking care of Tonya and Lester Hobbs’ 13-year-old daughter. "I just keep waiting to hear that little knock at the front door, hoping it will be Aja. I look all the time. Whenever I’m driving I’m constantly looking, thinking I might see her walking down the street.”

Miller said on a recent cold day, Aja’s older sister said to her, "‘I hope Aja has her coat. It’s really cold today.’ I just broke down and started crying.”

Roy Anderson, Miller’s father and next door neighbor, is also grieving. He had known Tonya Hobbs for 15 years and has raised her oldest child, a 15-year-old boy, since he was a baby.

Anderson said he worried about Tonya Hobbs’ relationship with Lester Hobbs.

"I tolerated him,” Anderson said. "Then I saw those bruises on that little girl, and that was it for me. I don’t care who you are, you just don’t hurt a child.”

Department of Human Services spokeswoman Beth Scott said Friday she could "neither confirm nor deny” the reports of Aja’s bruising.

http://www.newsok.com/family-of-miss...headline_crime

[Dakota Valkyrie]

OSBI held a news conference this afternoon:

It's been 33 days since a seven-year-old Oklahoma girl went missing following the murder of her mother.

Aja Johnson is thought to have been abducted by 46-year-old Lester Hobbs after investigators sayhe brutally beat his estranged wife, Tonya Hobbs, to death with a hammer.

Despite a 20-thousand dollar reward and countless law enforcement officers on the lookout, neither Aja nor Hobbs have not been found.

Investigators with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigators say they're learning more about the suspect, who they say can survive on very little money with his only needs appearing to be cigarettes, liquor, and very little food.

Authorities say Hobbs is a self-taught automobile mechanic and will offer to do minor car repairs for little money. He has worked in the past in small automotive garages and as a mechanic in service stations. He also likes to frequent bars and will hustle a game of pool for money. He likes to cruise the Internet searching for lonely women. If Hobbs no longer has a vehicle, he will travel across the country by bus, or he will hitchhike.

Hobbs' own family members say he always considers himself the victim and never takes responsibility for any of his actions. They describe him as a cowering abuser who preys on women and children. His criminal record supports to this.

Investigators say Hobbs likes to change his appearance, possibly dying his hair and changing his facial beard growth. But, there are characteristics that should give him away -- tattoos and a broken nose.

Hobbs has the word "ROSE" tattooed across the top of the fingers of his right hand and "LOVE" tattooed across the top of the fingers of his left hand. His nose is visibly crooked from being broken sometime in the past.

Officials say there is a possibility that Hobbs is being helped by someone to avoid capture.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0210/710270.html

[Dakota Valkyrie]

New photos released: (screen shots from video)

Investigators believe Aja, who suffers from bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleeping issues that require medication, likely witnessed her mother's slaying, Goss said.

http://www.newsok.com/agent-says-okl...headline_crime

[Whisper]

Oklahoma police now say Aja Johnson may have witnessed her own mother`s vicious and violent murder.

Cops are saying leave her at a Wal-Mart with a little sign that says Aja Johnson, Amber Alert. Just leave her somewhere.

Is Aja still alive? Can she hang on until Hobbs is caught?

Not only can he survive on very little, but he may be going to pool halls, hustling people for money. He could be doing some minor auto repairs on cars to be able to gain some of that money.

when this alleged crime happened, there was an ice storm that paralyzed the entire region for eight to 14 days. So a lot of folks throughout the state of Oklahoma were without electricity, and some don`t even know about this case. They don`t even know that this case exists. So he may be hiding out possibly in an abandoned home or even in a vacation home in the area. So if you have a vacation home in the area, get someone to go out and check it.

Don`t forget that he is her stepfather, and so, of course, Aja is going to be familiar with him. Probably traumatized, if she did, indeed, see her mother`s death. Very introverted.

So a man passing himself off as the child`s father. The child might be very introverted, very shy, very quiet, not rebellious, not a talker, not a screamer. This is the sort of thing we should look for.

Never forget, Jane, the story of Shasta Groene, who was recovered a few weeks after her abductor took her because a waitress in a Denny`s restaurant recognized her from television pictures.

Again, cops say he`s adept on surviving on very little, maybe $20 here and there, which he can often get hustling games of pool to win some cash, hanging out at seedy bars, and he`s also known to cruise the Internet for women.

His hands are tattooed, one with the word "rose," one with the word "love." Now, it`s winter. He could be wearing winter gloves or work gloves if he`s working as a mechanic. But if he changes his appearance, he can`t change those tattoos. Anyone, a convenience store clerk or waitress, anyone, somebody pumping gas, could see a man with those tattoos on his hands and..

He has been described to us as a cowardly abuser who only confronts people of a lesser stature than himself. This is exemplified by his criminal record where he has a history of only assaulting women and children.

The weekend that Tonya took Aja over to Oklahoma to see Lester, she lied to the child`s father and said that they were going to a birthday party, she may want to keep the child overnight, and he let that happen. But instead, she did take the child over to see Lester Hobbs over that weekend.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...6/ijvm.01.html

[Abroad]

Hobbs' own family members say he always considers himself the victim and never takes responsibility for any of his actions. They describe him as a cowering abuser who preys on women and children. His criminal record supports to this.

Refreshing to see family so realistic about their relative.......

[cubby]

thanks for the updates everybody....I keep hoping.....