Woman's Death A Homicide, Police Say

LAKELAND | Police have classified the death of a missing Tampa woman found in an abandoned Lakeland home Tuesday night as a homicide.

Officials said the woman is Jennifer Johnson, 31, a Tampa woman who had not been seen since Friday.

The lead person of interest in the case is Johnson’s ex-boyfriend, Vincent Brown, 38, who turned himself in to Tampa police Sunday night on an unrelated violation of probation charge, according to Lakeland police.

Officials said Brown is not cooperating in the investigation.

Witnesses said they had last seen Johnson arguing with Brown outside a Tampa nightclub. The couple had a history of domestic violence incidents.

Johnson was reported missing on Saturday after not showing up at her daughter’s birthday party, spurring a search by family members.

Police found Johnson’s car over the weekend and are examining it for clues. Her purse and wallet were inside. Police said the outcome didn’t look good, and her family feared the worst.

Johnson’s body was discovered 1810 Elliott St. off Kathleen Road. Lakeland police were called to the scene about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police have not released a cause of death, citing an ongoing investigation. The Tampa Police Department and Lakeland Police Department are working together on the case.

Detectives have not determined how Johnson got to Lakeland or if Brown has a Lakeland connection, officials said.

A man who lives with his family down the street said he and his girlfriend called police after they discovered the body while walking around the house.

Neighbors said the house is in foreclosure and no one has lived there for months.

The man, who would not give his name for fear of retaliation by the potential suspect, said he and his girlfriend had been on the property Tuesday because they were interested in buying the house. Most of the home was boarded and locked up, but the couple discovered the back door to the garage ajar.

When they entered, they found the body and immediately called police, the man said.

The former owner of the home moved to Georgia about six months ago, said neighbor Vicki Thompson, and relatives who still live in the area boarded up the home to prevent vandalism.

Tuesday, even before Johnson’s body was found, an assistant state attorney said Brown was a “suspect in a murder case” during his first appearance in court. A spokeswoman later said the prosecutor misspoke, and Brown was a “suspect in the disappearance of a missing woman.” Police, however, have not publicly upgraded Brown’s status to suspect.

[ Jeremy Maready can be reached at jeremy.maready@theledger.com or 863-802-7592. Information from the St. Petersburg Times was used in this report. ]