Where Are We Now with Missing Baby Gabriel Johnson Case?

The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) are conducting concurrent investigations for missing nine-month-old Baby Gabriel Johnson, whose mother kidnapped him and then either murdered, sold, or gave him away. For their homicide investigation, the SAPD began the long-awaited landfill search. Chief of Police William McManus said that some new leads point that way.

The landfill search is expected to take at least six days of digging through 45 feet of trash that includes hazardous waste in order to reach the layer that holds the trash from Homegates Studios and Suites where Elizabeth Johnson stayed with her son, Baby Gabriel. Her morbid story that she had killed him- which she later recanted- told that she had thrown his body in the trash. Cadaver dogs are standing by.

Baby Gabriel's father Logan McQueary, who is refusing to talk to reporters, has found evidence that leads him to believe his ex-girlfriend Johnson sold Baby Gabriel to an underground adoption agency. He is continuing to visit the places that she visited with Gabriel during the week of December 20, 2009 in Texas.

Johnson was sighted with a couple and a Hispanic man. Leads that could direct the SAPD to those three persons involve pizza orders that Johnson made to a local Papa John's. One Papa John driver recalls delivering a pizza to Johnson's hotel room on December 21. The driver who delivered two pizzas on December 24 with different toppings from Johnson's first-time order- indicating Johnson had company- no longer works for Papa John's. The SAPD want to know if he saw anyone in Johnson's hotel room when he made the delivery. They are looking for him.

Famous private investigator Jay J. Armes, who is working for free along with a powerful custom investigative team that he assembled just for this case, has sent agents into Mexico- based on leads that he has received. He has spent hours with McQueary 'picking his brain' for any information that will help lead to Baby Gabriel and he has spent time in Mexico regarding the Baby Gabriel search. Armes said police investigators have indicated there is no murder evidence.

Person of interest Tammi Smith Smith has two criminal charges against her- forgery and conspiracy to commit custodial interference. A third charge- that of custodial interference- was dropped because prosecutors believed they did not have enough evidence on which to successfully prosecute her. Tammi Smith had a court appearance (on Monday February 8) for a Status Conference at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix Arizona. Her attorney is Michael Kimerer.

Elizabeth Johnson, the abductor of her infant son, sits in Estrella Jail, Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona on four charges- conspiracy to commit custodial interference; custodial interference; child abuse; kidnapping- and on $1.1-million cash-only bond. She remains noncooperative with law enforcement.

Johnson had wanted to adopt out Baby Gabriel to Scottsdale couple Jack and Tammi Smith but McQueary said he had wanted to keep his son and said he had refused to sign adoption papers. Johnson ran away with Gabriel- her intent seems to have been to ensure that McQueary would not get a hold of Gabriel.

SAPD Chief McManus has been fielding questions this week as to why the request for an Amber Alert on Baby Gabriel was denied. The baby was known to be in danger because of the hideous text message that Johnson had written about killing him. Johnson sent the text message to McQueary on December 27. McQueary alerted police. The Amber Alert request was denied on December 28.

Everyone on the case, including the SAPD, remains hopeful that Gabriel is alive and will be found. "We do remain hopeful that Baby Gabriel is alive," said Chief McManus. Meanwhile, Arizona resident Logan McQueary, accompanied by two cousins, continues to search out more info in Texas that will lead to the safe return of his son.

^{Submit tips here- jjarmes.com/babygabrielcase. How We Can Help Find Missing Baby Gabriel Johnson & Bring Him Home}

_{^{Sources: chron Search for Baby Centers on SA Landfill; radiowoai Police Investigating Underground Adoption Agencies; woia Police Search Landfill; kens5. Other sources are embedded.}}