Sidney Edward Johnston

Johnston, circa 1990

  • Missing Since 01/22/1990
  • Missing From Davenport, Iowa
  • Classification Endangered Missing
  • Sex Male
  • Race White
  • Date of Birth 12/11/1942 (81)
  • Age 47 years old
  • Height and Weight 6'2, 180 pounds
  • Associated Vehicle(s) Maroon 1984 Ford Thunderbird
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Johnston's nickname is Sid.

Details of Disappearance

Johnson was last seen in Davenport, Iowa on January 22, 1990. He has never been heard from again. When investigators checked his home, they found holes punched in the walls and one door, a possible vomit stain on the bedsheets, and a dish full of cat food on the floor. The house was uncharacteristically messy. Johnston's maroon 1984 Ford Thunderbird disappeared with him and has never been found.

According to his neighbors, Johnston's behavior changed about six months before his disappearance. In the summer of 1989, a young man and a young woman began spending time at his house, which was unusual because Johnston rarely had friends over. His neighbors frequently heard loud arguments at the residence, with shouting and cursing. Investigators identified and interviewed the man and the woman, and both passed polygraph tests.

Johnston also gave away nearly $30,000 in the months before his disappearance, when before he had been very frugal. He had gotten into legal trouble over his finances and was getting contacts from bill collection agencies.

He was supposed to appear in court on January 23, the day after he went missing, to answer to charges of unlawfully possessing a bank identification card. He asked his brother for money in December 1989 and refused to say what he needed it for. Two weeks before his disappearance, he received several emergency telephone calls at work, which is also out of the ordinary for him.

Johnson is a Navy veteran and worked as a machine operator at Case IH. He was single, had no children and lived alone at the time of his disappearance in the home where he'd stayed for 28 years. Two of his five siblings have died since he went missing. Foul play is suspected in his case, which remains unsolved.

Investigating Agency

  • Davenport Police Department 563-326-7979

Updated 1 time since October 12, 2004. Last updated November 11, 2010; casefile added.