SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT  News Release
		Release #5-29 Wednesday, May 31,2000 For Immediate Release
						Contact: Steve Campas Telephone: 916-264-5224 Internet: www.sacpd.org

DATE/TIME:    05-31-00/1:00 PM

DATE/TIME OF INCIDENT:  05-27-00

LOCATION:    GARDEN HIGHWAY AND NATOMAS PARK DR.

SUMMARY:

At approximately 10:39 A.M. on 05-27-00 the Sacramento Police Department responded to a vacant field located at Garden Highway and Natomas Park Dr. regarding the discovery of possible human bones that had been uncovered from a shallow grave. Officers were led to a location in the field by employees of a business who were there spraying weeds.  Homicide Detectives were summoned and the Sacramento County Coroners Deputies were requested.  A pathologist associated with the Coroners Office responded and verified that the bones were human.  A tedious excavation of the site revealed the skeletal remains of what appeared to be an adult.

Coroner’s Deputies and Homicide Detectives concluded the excavation of the burial site on Sunday 05-28-00 at approximately 2:00 P.M. .

Based on items that were recovered from the burial site including jewelry, hair extensions, and uniquely ornate acrylic fingernails the victim was believed to be a female.

After seeing television coverage of this story an officer from the Hayward Police Department suspected the this discovery may connect-up with a suspected homicide case being worked by their agency.  Detectives from Hayward contacted detectives from the Sacramento Police Department and asked that the skeletal remains be compared against their victim identified as Lavonda Emery FB19 years old at the time of her disappearance 11-04-98.  The comparison revealed that the remains recovered from the grave site were positively those of Lavonda Emery.

Detectives from Hayward Police Department walked through an arrest warrant for Larry A. Johnson MB 28 years who they long suspected of killing the victim but had never recovered the body.

Larry Johnson was taken into custody by the Sacramento Police Department at his place of employment 602 12th Street at approximately 6:51 P.M. 05-30-00.  Johnson has been turned over to the Hayward Police Department for prosecution.

Victim:  Lavonda Emery, D.O.B. 05-10-1979

Suspect:  Larry A. Johnson, D.O.B. 08-24-1971

Photo’s of both the suspect and the victim will be available at the East door of the Sacramento Police Department 900 8th Street at 1:30 05-31-00
Lt. David Poroli
Homicide
(916) 264-5771
SPD COMMUNICATIONS (916) 264-2321