On October 26, 1998, a badly decomposed body of a man was found floating in the Columbia River near Northwest Lower River Road in Vancouver, Washington. The Clark County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head; the manner of death was listed as undetermined at the time and investigators could not identify him because decomposition obscured fingerprints and other usual identifiers.

In 2023 forensic genealogy finally identified the man as Michael E. Johnson, a White male estimated to be 53 at death who was originally from California. Family members said they had not had contact with him for more than two decades and that he had left California many years earlier. No information has been released about his movements or activities in the period before the body was found.

There have been no arrests and no public suspects in the case. The Vancouver Police Department continues to seek tips or information that could clarify what happened to Michael E. Johnson in his final days — did anyone know where he was living or traveling in 1998?