On April 25, 1928, five-year-old Julia Johnson was playing in her yard at 138 Austin Street. Behind her home was the Green River Building at 187 Sutherland Avenue, which had been closed down and vacated just a few weeks earlier by the N.P. Beverage Company.

Julia was last seen alive at about 3:50 p.m. playing with a tennis ball across from her home by several neighbours. She was waiting for the neighbour’s daughter to get home from school to play with. Five minutes later Julia was nowhere to be seen.

Julia’s mother began searching the area without success and the Winnipeg Police were notified at 4:30 p.m. to help in the search. The Green River Building was found to be locked and secure and nothing unusual was observed in the yard.

As Julia had not been found by the next day, the Detective Division was assigned to the investigation. The officers had little to work on. If she had been abducted someone should have heard a commotion unless it was someone who she knew and trusted. The most puzzling part of the mystery was the extremely short time frame – five minutes – and she disappeared.