MISSING: Darrel “Bubba” Johnson Sr.
Crime Junkie
MISSING: Darrel “Bubba” Johnson Sr.
00:00 / 31:01
AI Summary
This Crime Junkie episode covers the mysterious disappearance of 67-year-old Daryl 'Bubba' Johnson Sr., who vanished from a crowded campsite at Conja's Lake State Park in New Mexico on June 29, 2024. Bubba traveled from Phoenix, Arizona with a family friend named Vanessa to celebrate a birthday party with 30+ people. After checking in on him around midnight, friends discovered him missing by 7 a.m., though his belongings remained in the car. Despite searches by authorities using drones, boats, and ATVs, no trace of Bubba has been found except for a phone ping near the campsite at 2:23 p.m. the day after he disappeared. The case is complicated by conflicting accounts about Bubba's relationship with Allie Diaz, at whose home he had been living. While Bubba's son Daryl Jr. and best friend Tony believed Bubba and Allie were in a romantic relationship, Allie insists they were only friends and that her actual boyfriend of 13 years, Ernie, was also at the camping trip. Witnesses saw Bubba borrowing a flashlight from neighbors around 12:30 a.m. and walking along the lake shore, though he appeared to turn back toward camp. Over a year and a half later, Bubba remains missing with no physical evidence, no recovered wallet, phone, or belongings, and no clear explanation for why he would have walked away.
Key takeaways
- 01Daryl 'Bubba' Johnson Sr. disappeared from a crowded campsite with 30+ people present, vanishing between midnight and 7 a.m. without his belongings or vehicle
- 02His phone last pinged near the campsite at 2:23 p.m. the day after he was reported missing, possibly in the water, but has never been recovered despite searches
- 03Conflicting accounts exist about Bubba's relationship with Allie Diaz - his family believed they were dating, while Allie insists they were only friends and roommates
- 04Witnesses saw Bubba borrow a flashlight at 12:30 a.m. and walk along the lake shore before turning back, but no one saw him return to camp
- 05Despite extensive searches with drones, boats, and ATVs, no trace of Bubba has been found in over a year and a half, which is unusual for the area where bodies typically resurface
Timestamps
Topics
Companies mentioned
Quotes
"Well, at this point, it sounds like he might have just wandered off and he's right out of here. So at this point, we're going to put out a bolo for him. I mean, that's all we can do, because if he was around here, they would have spotted him."
— Officer Jonathan Gonzalez
"No, Daryl's my friend. Ernie is my boyfriend. He's been my boyfriend for 13 years. So how come Daryl Jr. saying that that's that you and his dad were dating? No, we have never dated. He lives with me. Bubba Sr. lives with me. He's lived with me for the last two years."
— Alejandra 'Allie' Diaz
"That's what we're, like, looking for him. We went around and... Did you find him? No. That's the thing. Like, this area is really, really rough terrain, so it's kind of awkward for him just to walk off in the middle of nowhere."
— Roxanne
"And standing there, staring out into the darkness, it hits him. The people who last saw Bubba aren't there to answer his questions. And he gets this sinking fear that he might never know what happened to his dad."
— Ashley Flowers (narrator)
Transcript
Hi Crime Junkies, it's Brit. If you're like me and you're ready to dive into even more cases, there's another podcast I think you're going to love. Park Predators. In Park Predators, host Delia D'Ambra dives into the haunting crimes that happen in some of the most beautiful and unexpected places across the globe. Delia has helped host a couple of episodes of Crime Junkie in the past, and if you've listened to her before, you already know her investigative approach brings the facts of each case and their chilling details to life, making Park Predators the perfect mix of captivating and informative storytelling. So once you're done with this episode of Crime Junkie, go check out Park Predators. New episodes drop every week. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Hi Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers, and I'm writing solo today to bring you a story about a very strange disappearance that took place in the summer of 2024. A man who was with a big group at a busy campsite goes into his tent to sleep one night, and by morning, he's just gone. The initial assumptions that maybe he walked away, maybe he just kept going. That's the theory police appear to accept pretty fast. But over a year and a half later, there's still no reason why. There's no recovered wallet, no cell phone, no physical trace of where this man went. Just one clue that might suggest he never left at all. This is the story of Daryl Bubba Johnson Sr. It's Saturday, June 29th, 2024, just after noon, when Ne…