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A missing teacher from Queens has been found dead in upstate New York. 46-year-old Keith Johnson was last seen May 4 outside PS 29 in College Point, where he taught music.
Police said his car was seen crossing the Throgs Neck Bridge heading out of the city on the morning of May 5.
Officers in the Ulster County town of Shandaken reported they got word on Saturday, May 12, that he might have been hiking in the area. After his 2006 gray Hyundai Elantra was found at the Woodland Valley trailhead, authorities searched the area and found Johnson’s body several miles away.
There is no word yet on the cause of death, but police say nothing looked overtly suspicious, and he may have died of natural causes.
Family members told CBSNewYork it was unusual not to hear from Johnson for days. Johnson, who was an avid hiker, also did not have a known history of drug abuse or mental illness.
His neighbor, Ken Achan, told CBS that he ran into Johnson on May 4, outside their apartment building in Kew Gardens.
Achan says Johnson told him he was leaving the city for a short trip.
“He told me he left a lot of food out for the cats and not to worry for crying that he’s going camping,” he said.
Days went by, the mail and garbage piled up, but there was no sign of Johnson. The school’s principal at PS 29 in College Point alerted police after Johnson didn’t show up to work for several days.
The investigation into Johnson’s death is ongoing.