Johnson was last seen after he finished cutting firewood with his brother in Brooklyn, Washington on the morning of April 1, 1986. He left to go home and has never been heard from again. Johnson's brother left ten minutes later, and found Johnson's truck parked on top of a tall hill fifteen miles down the road. The vehicle was partially in the gravel roadway, the driver's side door was open, the keys were in the ignition and an open can of beer was balanced on the front seat. There was no sign of Johnson at the scene. His brother initially thought he was just scouting timber and he did not become concerned until he drove back the opposite direction at 5:30 p.m. that day and saw Johnson's truck still sitting as it had been. Johnson's bandana was nearby.

Johnson was a fern picker, bark peeler and woodsman at the time of his disappearance. An extensive search of the woodlands surrounding the site of his disappearance turned up no sign of him. His case remains unsolved.