Ranelle Rose Bennett
Bennett, circa 2021; Kendale "KJ" Johnson
- Missing Since 06/15/2021
- Missing From Hogback, New Mexico
- Classification Endangered Missing
- Sex Female
- Race Native American
- Date of Birth 05/01/1988 (36)
- Age 33 years old
- Height and Weight 5'2, 125 pounds
- Clothing/Jewelry Description An orange tank top and black sweatpants.
- Distinguishing Characteristics Native American female. Black hair, brown eyes. Bennett is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. She has a tattoo of the name "Treasten" on the inside of her right forearm, and a tattoo of the letter "B" behind her left ear. Her ears are pierced. Bennett's nickname is Tiny.
Details of Disappearance
Bennett was last seen by her mother at her residence in Hogback, New Mexico on June 15, 2021. She has two children. Both of them lived with Bennett's mother at the time of her disappearance, but she called and texted them every day and had never gone an extended time period without seeing them.
On the day she was last seen, Bennett went to her mother's home to discuss her daughter's upcoming tenth birthday party. When she left, Bennett hugged her mother for a long time and appeared to be crying, which her mother found odd.
She never showed up for her daughter's party, which is uncharacteristic of her behavior, and her mother was unable to get in touch with her, so she her mother filed a missing persons report on June 21. For unclear reasons, the report wasn't entered into the law enforcement database for days, however.
Bennett has never been heard from again. Three months after she went missing, family members found her shoes and sweater in north Shiprock, New Mexico and turned them over to police to be processed for evidence, but it's not known whether this led to any leads. There has been no other indication of her whereabouts.
At the time of her disappearance, Bennett was dating a man named Kendale "KJ" Johnson; they'd been seeing each other for about a month. In July 2021, Johnson and five other people were arrested; the group are suspects in a slew of Shiprock-area crimes, including home invasions and auto theft. Johnson initially escaped the July 14 police pursuit that ended in the apprehension of the other five individuals; he wasn't arrested until July 16.
The police had been investigating the group for some time and had at one point thought Bennett was involved in the crimes, because of her association with Johnson. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. He had said he'd last seen her a couple of days after her mother did. It's not clear whether Johnson is a suspect in Bennett's disappearance, however.
Her case remains unsolved and the circumstances of her disappearance are unclear.
Investigating Agency
- Navajo Nation Police Department - Shiprock District 505-368-1350
- Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services 505-563-3600
Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated July 27, 2022; casefile added.