Baltimore woman charged after young niece and nephew’s bodies found in her car

A Baltimore woman was arrested Wednesday when police located the bodies of her young niece and nephew in her car, according to Baltimore County Government.

The remains of the two children, ages seven and five, were discovered during a traffic stop after Nicole Michelle Johnson was pulled over for speeding. The car she was driving reportedly had fake West Virginia tags, and was uninsured and unregistered, according to ABC 4.

The bodies had reportedly been Johnson’s trunk for months, and one might have been sequestered in the vehicle since May of 2020.

Johnson told investigators that she had hit the young girl multiple times last May, causing her to fall and hit her head. Johnson then placed her remains in a suitcase in her car. When the young boy passed away two months ago, Johnson put his body next to his sister’s in the trunk, ABC 4 noted.

An autopsy of the children revealed the two kids suffered from severe malnourishment.

An officer discovered the bodies after he opened the trunk and smelled decomposition. 

Before the officer’s discovery, Johnson reportedly said, “Y’all going to see me on the news, y’all going to see me on the news making my big debut.”

Johnson is now facing multiple charges,  including first degree child abuse.

“This truly was a devastating incident – one that not only shocked our community to its core, but significantly affected our patrol officers, forensic technicians, and detectives,” Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said in a statement.

She added, “I am grateful that the harrowing details of this case were thoroughly and quickly uncovered, resulting in an expeditious closure to this tragedy. I want to commend all of our Baltimore County Police Department members who worked tirelessly throughout this investigation to bring justice to these innocent, young victims.”

According to CNN, Johnson is being held without bail, and a preliminary hearing is slated for August 27.