DAYTON, Ohio-Nicole Michelle Johnson, 36, faces 50 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse charges related to the deaths of her young niece and nephew. The bodies of Joshlyn Marie James Johnson, 7, and Larry Darnell O’Neil III, 5, were discovered in the trunk of Johnson’s car during a traffic stop in Essex, Maryland, on July 28, 2021. The children had been decomposing and their deaths were ruled homicides. Johnson had been caring for the children since 2019. She admitted to hitting Joshlyn in May 2020, causing her death, and later placed her body in a suitcase in the trunk. Larry’s death, which Johnson described as occurring after he complained of being tired, was also revealed when his body was found in a tote in the same trunk.
