Army Soldier Charged with Murdering Pregnant Wife and Intentionally Killing Unborn Child — as Her Family Feels ‘Betrayed’

A U.S. Army soldier has been charged with killing his pregnant wife, who authorities say is “presumed deceased” after she went missing in July 2024.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Army’s Office of Special Trial Counsel formally “referred” Private First Class Dewayne Arthur Johnson II with five charges and 19 specifications in relation to the disappearance of his 19-year-old wife, Mischa Mabeline Kaalohilani Johnson.

The “general nature of the charges” are for the murder of Johnson, intentionally killing her unborn child, obstruction of justice, providing false official statements, possession of child pornography and the production and distribution of child pornography, according to the U.S. Army’s website.

The formal charges arrive more than six months after Mischa — who was six months pregnant at the time of her disappearance — was last seen inside her home on Schofield Barracks, O’ahu, Hawaii, on July 31, according to a flyer from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.

After she was reported missing on Aug. 1, Mischa’s husband was arrested the following day and placed in military pretrial confinement, before facing initial charges of false official statements, obstruction of justice and production and distribution of child pornography, Law & Crime reported.

Two months later, the Army Office of Special Trial Council reportedly leveled accusations that the suspect of murdered his wife, before his latest charges were formally referred against him this week under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the outlet noted.

Mischa is “presumed deceased and her body has not been found,” according to the Army, which stated that the investigation is ongoing. The Department of the Army CID is continuing to seek the public’s assistance in the case. In August, the Army Criminal Investigation was offering a $10,000 reward at the time for information regarding Mischa’s disappearance.

The latest development comes as the woman’s loved ones have waited for charges to arrive. According to The Frederick News-Post in Maryland, Dewayne was 28 years old in August. Per the Associated Press, he is a calvary scout from Frederick and had enlisted in November 2022 before being assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in 2023. It was not immediately clear if he has obtained an attorney.

“We have no control over these things, right? So we’re finally glad that the day is finally here, especially because … we can update the public,” Mischa’s sister, Mariana Tapiz, told Fox affiliate KHON of the charges. “I feel betrayed because, you know, we accepted him right into our family.”

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According to the Army, the suspect “waived his right to an Article 32 preliminary hearing” and his case will be assigned a military judge responsible for scheduling his arraignment, pretrial hearings and the trial as he remains in pretrial confinement.

“And now we just wait on a date for arraignment, which we will be present for in person,” Mischa’s sister added.

Megan Kau, a defense attorney in Hawaii, told the outlet that the soldier’s additional offenses are “almost slam dunks” given that his wife’s body was never recovered.

“Child pornography, it’s either on your device or it’s not,” Kau said. “When you have this murder case without a body, it’s not necessarily a slam dunk. And so at least the government will be able to hold him accountable for the child pornography.”

As Mischa’s sister told Hawaii News Now, “if we can’t have Mischa, the least that we can do is make sure that man stays in jail.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.