The bloody cell phone of a woman missing in Houston since April 15 has been found

By Rebekah Riess and Andy Rose, CNN

The family of a 24-year-old woman last seen in Houston on April 15, is pleading for help in finding her after her bloody cell phone was discovered near a park in West Houston following her disappearance.

According to community activist Quanell X, who is the leader of the New Black Panther Nation in Houston, Felicia Marie Johnson traveled to Houston from California, hoping to gain employment at the Cover Girls Night Club. Johnson reportedly called an Uber after leaving the club, but when the Uber was taking too long to get there, a man at the club offered to give her a ride to where she needed to go, Quanell X said.

“Felicia has not been seen since. No cell phone activity, no credit card activity, no social media activity. She has absolutely just vanished off the face of the earth,” Quanell X said at a press conference on Wednesday in Houston.

Quanell X said his organization has been looking into the disappearance, along with a private investigator hired by the family.

The Houston Police Department (HPD) says Johnson’s disappearance is considered a missing persons case, though they couldn’t say whether foul play is suspected. Police did not comment on the details about Johnson’s disappearance provided by Quanell, but said they have been in touch with Johnson’s family, and anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to contact HPD’s missing persons unit.

According to Quanell X, the private investigator hired by the family found Johnson’s cell phone covered in blood and discarded on the side of the road at Bear Creek Park in West Houston. He said Moore’s personal belongings were found in her hotel room, and his group has turned over what they found to HPD.

“We believe that she is the victim of foul play. We believe that she’s being held against her will,” Quanell X said. “But we want whoever is holding her to know that we will not rest. We will not stop looking. We will continue looking for her. We will continue hunting you. No matter what takes place. We will continue hunting you and we will not forget Felicia.”

“I’m trying to hold myself together and stand strong for the family and for you,” Johnson’s father, Kevin Johnson, said addressing his daughter at the press conference. “And I won’t rest for a day in my life until I have you back. It’s a tragedy that you’ve been caught up in this.”

Quanell X called for HPD to treat cases of missing Black women with the same urgency as missing White women. “Because it seems like when young Black females go missing in the city — it’s not a priority,” he said.

HPD told CNN they are taking the case seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation.

Texas EquuSearch, a mounted search and recovery team that provides volunteer horses for lost and missing persons, has also joined in the search for Johnson, Quanell X said. “We’ve been following several tips, but none of them have panned out,” he added.

CNN has attempted to reach the Cover Girls Night Club for comment but has been unable to speak with anyone.

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