Photo: Instagram
He took a motorcycle for a test drive and never returned.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Jun 13, 2019
Davey Johnson is a veteran writer about the automotive industry for a number of publications including Car and Driver, Jalopnik and Auto Week. He's been missing since Wednesday, June 5th. Johnson took a motorcycle for a test drive in the Sierra Nevada mountain range last week. He hasn't been seen since. Now, a massive search party is underway for the Sacramento based writer and it doesn't look good. Who is Davey Johnson and what happened to him?
1. He was last heard from early Wednesday morning
Friends of Davey Johnson's report that he was last heard from around 2am on Wednesday, June 5th. He was driving the motorcycle somewhere along Route 49 heading home to Sacramento from the Mammoth area. his girlfriend Jaclyn Trop and another friend had just seen him on Friday in Santa Monica and he was OK. Trop told CBS News that she spoke to him around 5am on Wednesday and that disappearing is very out of character for him. The last time his cell phone pinged was around 8am on Wednesday, June 5th.
2. Driving conditions were difficult
On the day Johnson disappeared driving conditions were difficult. His cell phone died at one point. He texted his girlfriend after being out of touch for 12 hours to let her know that he had been traversing icy roads and it was tricky. According to Car and Driver the text read: “I had a great time before it got dark. I’m so sorry I worried you. Yes, I’m okay and alive, but I am wiped. That part of the Sierra is just stupidly spectacular. Anyway, I’m so sorry I worried you. Yes, I am okay and alive, but I am WIPED. I love you very much.”
3. His path
Jaclyn Trop told CBS that she thinks he rode from L.A. to Los Vegas on Sunday, June 2nd and then from Vegas to Mammoth. On Tuesday, he headed to the Sonora Pass, the second tallest highway pass in the Sierra Nevadas. Trop said he texted a friend to say he was at a rest stop by a creek enjoying himself. That text was early Wednesday morning around 830am. The text included photos of the stream he was at and he said he was heading home.
4. His motorcycle and clothes were found
Johnson was test driving a black Honda CB1000R motorcycle with the license plate 3421. The motorcycle was a press loaner. Police found the motorcycle at a rest area on Route 49 just after midnight on Saturday, June 8th. His backpack and computer were not with the motorcycle. Police also found his clothes, phone and computer near a river off Big Bear Launch near Mokelumme Hill about 50 feet away from the rest stop the motorcycle was at. His wallet was not with his clothing.
As of this writing, Davey Johnson, 44, has not been found.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.