Darrel Johnson Part 2: Triangle Beneath the Stars
The Vanished Podcast
Wondery
4.5 • 15K Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2025
⏱️ 59 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In late June 2024, Darrel Johnson traveled from Phoenix to a remote state park in northeastern New Mexico with 33 other campers. They were celebrating the birthday of a woman’s daughter, who some described as Darrel’s girlfriend while others referred to her simply as a friend. Reports indicate that Darrel arrived at the campground around 11 AM on June 28 and spent the rest of the day there. It has been suggested that an argument occurred between Darrel and another man, identified as the woman’s boyfriend; however, this account of the evening has been disputed.
Around 11 PM that night, Darrel’s companion reportedly checked on him in his tent to see if he was okay. Darrel assured her that he was fine. However, by 7 AM the following morning, he was missing from his tent, and no one in the group knew where he had gone. Initially, the campers were not alarmed, assuming that Darrel had gone for a walk, perhaps to the restrooms.
When Darrel did not return, they contacted authorities to report him missing. Investigating officers spoke with nearby campers and discovered that shortly after midnight, one witness believed Darrel approached their group and asked to borrow a flashlight. After receiving the flashlight, he was seen walking away, initially heading along the shoreline before turning back toward his campsite. After that, Darrel was never seen or heard from again.
Back in Phoenix, Darrel’s family was stunned to learn from the New Mexico State Police that he was missing. They hadn’t even known he had left town. His son and daughter-in-law quickly packed up their family and drove nine hours to assist in the search.
As days turned to weeks without new leads, tensions began to rise between Darrel’s family and the group he had camped with. Darrel’s family became suspicious, feeling that the others must know more than they were revealing. They started to notice discrepancies in the stories they were being told. Meanwhile, the family of the woman Darrel had traveled with felt they were being unfairly accused of his disappearance. The situation became increasingly tense, and communication between the two sides ultimately broke down.
More than six months later, the investigation remains at a standstill. However, Darrel’s family refuses to give up their search, holding onto hope that answers will eventually be found.
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Darrel Johnson, please call the New Mexico State Police at 505-425-6771.
If you have a missing loved one that you would like to have featured on the show, please fill out our case submission form.
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Transcript
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| 1:00.3 | If he was alive when he went missing, just were saying hypothetically, and he had to survive in the wilderness, he'd be one of the people that could. |
| 1:09.3 | He's so smart and his resources, he'd be able to do what he could until he couldn't. |
| 1:15.1 | I really think even if it's sometime down the road that someone's going to get spooked, |
| 1:21.1 | I think someone's going to break or something's going to be said because they're going to get |
| 1:25.7 | too nervous or they're not going to remember something specific that they said, something's going to be said because they're going to get too nervous or they're not going to remember |
| 1:28.1 | something specific that they said something's going to happen where we're going to get something |
| 1:33.8 | to go forward. I really feel like that's how things are going to break down. In late June |
| 1:40.6 | 2024, Darrell Johnson traveled from Phoenix to a remote state park in northeastern New Mexico |
| 1:46.6 | to go camping with a group of 33 other people. |
| 1:50.2 | They were there to celebrate the birthday of the daughter of a woman who some described as |
| 1:54.2 | Daryl's girlfriend, while others referred to her simply as his friend. |
... |
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