Cass County Sheriff holds press conference about the death of 24-year-old Timothy Johnson
CASSOPOLIS, Mich.-- Family members of a hit and run victim are questioning if what happened was really an accident.
24-year-old Timothy Johnson was identified as the victim of what the Sheriff's Office says was a deadly hit and run near Dowagiac two weeks ago.
"On May 23, Cass County Sheriff‘s Office was contacted by the Benton Harbor police asking for a welfare check on Timothy Johnson at a motel in Dowagiac.A Deputy was dispatched to the hotel, but could not locate Timothy Johnson.”
What started as a missing person case turned into a deadly hit and run and is now being investigated as vehicular homicide, according to Cass County Sheriff Clinton Roach.
Timothy Johnson's body was found last month on the side of M152 near Pleasant Street in a ditch in the Sister Lakes area. He says they're still on the hunt for the car involved.
"Detectives and MSP were able to identify a vehicle of interest which was put out in a press release as a 2010 to 2012 Ford Taurus, possibly black in color with heavy damage," said Roach.
He shared they are also looking into video evidence.
"We have some video footage that we are reviewing, we're still looking for more. Unfortunately, some of the places that have video don't know how to get into it so we're working with them and trying to assist them with the company they purchased it from to be able to get into it so we still are seeking video footage."
However, Johnson's sister shared a Facebook post on May 26 alleging that Johnson is the victim of a hate crime and was killed by the father of the girl he was dating. Johnson's family tells ABC57 they believe his death was racially motivated based on information the Johnson family says they got from the coroner. The Sheriff contradicted that comment.
"The medical examiner's office has confirmed with the Sheriff's Office they have not contacted family or any other individuals regarding Timothy Johnson.”
ABC57 reached out to the medical examiner on May 27 when we learned about concerns that this was more than a hit and run. We were told "On May 24th, 2026, our office conducted an investigation into the death of Timothy Johnson in Cass County. An autopsy was performed the next morning. The autopsy did reveal injuries on the body. The cause of these injuries presently remains under investigation. Specimens for toxicologic analysis were collected during the autopsy; however, the toxicology results are not yet available. At this time, the cause and manner of death are pending further investigation."
ABC57 has been in contact with the Johnson family. They say they are waiting for the final autopsy before speaking publicly but say they have proof Johnson was not killed in a hit and run. Johnson's father received the preliminary report on Tuesday.
The Sheriff addressed the claims that Johnson's death is tied to a dispute with his girlfriend's father.
"We have interviewed the person that he was going to see, we have interviewed her father, and we have received nothing from them to indicate any kind of domestic dispute any type of issues between the father and Timothy, said Roach.
ABC57 asked Sheriff Roach if anything in the investigation has led him to believe that Timothy Johnson is the victim of a hate crime, he said "no, not at all."
Sheriff Roach says multiple subpoenas are being processed to preserve cell phone data and search warrants are being issued for cell phone records and cell tower data. He described it as a lengthy process.
Meanwhile, the Cass County Prosecutor's Office recently lost all six prosecutors. They all quit, with only one interim prosecutor, Sarah Scoggin, being sworn in to work cases. A big question is what the timeline for prosecution looks like when Cass County just went from six prosecutors to one and many cases have already been adjourned.
"If it comes to light that it is anything other than a hit-and-run, we'll of course be investigating and prosecuting that to the fullest but at this point, of course my job at this point is to support the Sheriff and his team," said Scoggin.
According to Sheriff Roach, the final autopsy report will be done anywhere between 30 to 90 days and then they will be able to determine how Timothy Johnson died.
During the press conference, the Sheriff also mentioned a social media post urging people to call the Sheriff's Office and demand an investigation into Johnson's death. He says at this time, they've received 15 to 20 calls.
Sheriff Roach urges anyone with any information about the death of Timothy Johnson as well as video footage to contact the Sheriff's Office immediately,