‘Couldn’t say last goodbye’ – Mom wants justice in crash that killed son

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Reneal Ross Johnson never got the closure of seeing her son’s body after he was killed in a hit-and-run crash two years ago.

The badly decomposed remains of 19-year-old Desmond Johnson – described as a cheerful, happy teen – weren’t found until more than a week after the wreck that took his life March 1, 2018. Florida Highway Patrol investigators said the driver, Francisco Magana Cendejas, fled the crash site where Desmond’s body was left lying alone on the ground.

But in court records, deputies paint a disturbing picture of what happened that night along 58th Avenue.

Magana Cendejas drove back to the site with his two friends to clean up vehicle debris. The three associates possibly hid Desmond’s body in the woods beyond the tree line, a Florida Highway Patrol traffic investigation report shows.

“I know they moved my baby,” said Reneal Johnson, 44, of Orlando. She continues to replay different scenarios in her mind over what happened to her son as he walked along the darkened roadway.

“His skateboard, phone and shoes were found deeper in the woods than he was.”

Desmond’s body was left in the heat and outside elements for nine days. He was reported missing March 1; Desmond’s co-workers at McDonald’s searched for him and found his body March 9, Johnson said.

When Johnson told the medical examiner she would drive down to identify her son, the examiner advised against the idea.

“He recommended to not let that be the last image I saw of my son,” Johnson said. “I was not able to physically see my son. I have no closure. I couldn’t even say goodbye.”

A few days after Desmond’s body was discovered, Magana Cendejas, 20, of the 8500 block of 99th Avenue, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death. Magana Cendejas told deputies he did not call 911 because he was scared.

In April, a month after the discovery of Desmond’s body, prosecutors filed a formal charge against Magana Cendejas.

Magana Cendejas pled not guilty to the charge and demanded a trial by jury, court records show. It was unclear how long it would take before a trial is held in the criminal case.

Johnson said prosecutors aren’t moving fast enough, and questions why Magana Cendejas was not also charged with tampering with evidence.

“The (prosecutors) have all the evidence that (Cendejas) moved him and there’s no charge for that?” Johnson said. Assistant State Attorney Christopher Taylor said prosecutors continue to work on the case.

Desmond’s case was one of 393 hit-and-run crashes to occur in the county in 2018, two of which were fatal, troopers said. Troopers acknowledge that such cases are difficult to investigate.

Was Desmond’s body moved?

When Johnson drives from Orlando to Vero Beach to visit family, her sense of warmth and comfort fades to grief as she drifts down 58th Avenue. A small wooden cross with flowers sits in the overgrown grass on the roadside between 33rd and 37th streets.

Johnson thinks about how Desmond, who was living with his grandmother in Vero Beach, was left alone to die. The teenager was struck from behind as he was walking home with his skateboard after a shift at a nearby McDonald’s, reports show.

“It hurts me so bad. I wonder how long my baby had to suffer in that spot before God took him away,” Johnson said. “Nobody found the decency to call the cops.”

Desmond was wearing a dark-colored hoodie-style sweatshirt and black pants, troopers said. When troopers went to the scene and saw Desmond lying face down, they discovered something unusual.

The sleeves on Desmond’s sweatshirt were pulled up over his hands, the traffic report shows. The sweatshirt was pulled upwards toward his chest, and his pants were down.

“The positioning of (Desmond) and the condition of (Desmond’s) clothing suggests that he may have been moved from the area of final rest,” troopers said in the report. The report said Magana Cendejas and his two friends altered the scene of the crash even further by removing Desmond’s shoes and vehicle debris from the roadway.

The amount of time that passed between the crash and the discovery of Desmond’s body posed a challenge for investigators. Troopers were unable to determine exactly where the crash happened on 58th Avenue.

It was unclear why Magana Cendejas was not charged with tampering with evidence. The involvement of Cendejas’ associates are still under investigation, and could lead to future charges, troopers noted.

Witness Interviews

Interviews from witnesses proved to be crucial in helping troopers track down Magana Cendejas and his red Nissan Titan truck.

Two motorists told troopers that they were traveling on 58th Avenue at the time of the incident. The witnesses said they were driving northbound when a pickup approached them from behind at a high rate of speed.

The pickup veered into the southbound lane to try and pass the motorists’ vehicle. The witnesses said the truck “hit something,” but they didn’t see what was struck.

The witnesses said the pickup turned around and returned to the crash site. They said the entire front left quarter panel was torn away from the vehicle, reports show.

Troopers collected several vehicle parts from the scene, including a fog lamp cover, side-view mirror, broken plastic and glass parts. Investigators and Indian River County sheriff’s deputies also recovered Desmond’s shoes, hat, skateboard and his broken cell phone, reports show.

Then, another breakthrough came.

One of Magana Cendejas’ friends, who went to the crash scene to remove the vehicle debris, spoke to deputies. The friend, who is Magana Cendejas’ co-worker, said he left his job at John’s Island Country Club in the evening the day of the wreck.

According to the report, whenever the friend drove home, Magana Cendejas and a third co-worker usually followed him on State Road 60 until 58th Avenue before heading northbound. The friend kept driving westbound and got a call from Magana Cendejas soon after.

“Magana said he hit a hog and wanted help cleaning up debris,” the friend told detectives. The friend said he went to the crash site, but did not see anything Magana Cendejas could have hit.

Deputies spoke to the third co-worker, who was riding with Magana Cendejas at the time of the collision. Officers received an anonymous tip saying the co-worker was overheard at a business talking about “dumping a body,” but he denied the claim.

But, the employee said he saw Magana Cendejas pick up shoes from the road and throw them onto the shoulder, reports show.

The co-worker said he overheard Magana Cendejas’ friend telling him to “stick to the story about the hog” and to “wipe his cell phone,” reports show. The employee said Magana Cendejas and his friend often engaged in street racing, officials noted.

The hit-and-run vehicle

Deputies found the heavily-damaged pickup at Perfection Auto Body Shop in Vero Beach.

The plastic bumper cover and hood were crushed inward, reports show. Several vehicle parts found at the crash site matched the pickup, troopers said.

Troopers noted the pickup – which had blood on its left front fender – appeared to be in good mechanical condition with no prior deficiencies. But, troopers also said there were stickers on the windshield that would block the driver’s view of the road.

Interview with Magana Cendejas

Indian River County deputies went to Sebastian River High School and detained Magana Cendejas. While deputies questioned Magana Cendejas about the crash, Magana Cendejas made the statement “He wasn’t wearing reflective clothing,” reports show.

The statement roused suspicion, officials said.

“At no point in the questioning had investigators referred to (Desmond’s) gender or clothing,” troopers said in the report.

Magana Cendejas told deputies he was not sure what he hit. In the investigation report, troopers noted low visibility and speed were contributing factors in the wreck.

Deputies arrested Magana Cendejas and took him to the county jail.

Mom holds onto memories

Now, Johnson only has memories left of Desmond, who was enrolled at Indian River State College. Some of those memories – in pictures – were shared on Facebook last September as Johnson celebrated her late son’s 21’s birthday.

“I miss his smile, his jokes, his heart and love,” Johnson said. “I miss everything about my son.”

The family pictures show a vacation at Busch Gardens, a party for Desmond’s 17th birthday, church and graduation events and Desmond carrying his red, black and white Satellite skateboard.

Desmond, nicknamed “Des,” loved changing the wheels on his skateboard, drawing and taking apart computers and rebuilding them. Desmond, an aspiring video-gamer, loved watching the cartoon “Naruto” on Netflix and attended Friendship Baptist Church in Gifford.

Johnson said she feels heartbreak because Magana Cendejas’ mom is still enjoying the company of her son, who is out on bond. Meanwhile, an empty seat at the dinner table at Johnson’s home is one of the reminders that she will never see Desmond again.

“This lady gets to see her son every night. He’s gone on about his life,” Johnson said. “I’m still stuck in limbo. When do my scars start to heal?”

Plea for justice

The Johnson family is still pushing forward, even though they feel broken on the inside from Desmond’s tragic death.

Johnson said she regularly attends docket calls at the courthouse for updates on the hit-and-run case. Johnson said she has no closure.

“I’ve given (prosecutors) two years of docket calls,” Johnson said. “Give me justice. Give me something to let me know my baby’s life was not in vain. If I don’t fight for justice, nobody else will.”

Photos provided by Johnson family