Mountain climber Janet Mae Johnson and John Cooper last photo are now viral after their death
A recently discovered camera holds the potential to unravel the enigma surrounding the 50-year-old mystery of the deaths of two climbers on Argentina’s Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
In February 2020, two porters stumbled upon Janet Johnson’s Nikomat 35-millimeter camera, still housed in her leather bag imprinted with her Colorado home address, as per reports.
Mountain climber Janet Mae Johnson and John Cooper last photo surface after death in Acancagua, Argentina
Last photo of John Cooper (in front). Cooper and another person, Janet Johnson, died under mysterious circumstances while climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, in 1973. This picture was found on a roll of film in Johnson’s camera, which was found on the… pic.twitter.com/4Be7mQDOrw
— BÙI TRỌNG QUỐC (@BuiTrongQuoc) December 11, 2023
Last photo of Janet Johnson. Johnson and another person, John Cooper, died under mysterious circumstances while climbing Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, in 1973. This picture was found on a roll of film in Johnson’s camera, which was found on the mountain in 2020.
byu/PatTheKVD inlastimages
The expedition started in 1973 with eight American climbers. Only six came back. Janet Johnson and John Cooper were the two who didn't — but how and why they died was never completely clear. The mystery haunted Aconcagua for almost half a century. https://t.co/SyIuRTT1sw pic.twitter.com/uEMV6j7E3e
— Ozor Ndi Ozor (@eemmanuels4) December 11, 2023
Camera Revealed Cause of Death
Now, Johnson’s camera takes center stage in the decades-old investigation into her demise and that of her companion, NASA engineer John Cooper. The duo met their tragic end during a disastrous 1973 expedition on the mountain, with their deaths initially deemed accidental.
However, persistent questions arose due to the violent nature of the incident. William Montalbano, in a 1976 Miami Herald article, voiced suspicions of foul play, urging investigators to determine whether Aconcagua claimed Janet Johnson’s life or if she was the victim of a crime.
What Did Autopsy Report Say
Although official records attribute Johnson’s death to a brain injury, consistent with the survivors’ accounts of a fall, doubts persisted. Despite the group’s guide, Miguel Alfonso, and base camp manager, Robert Bustos, being cleared of any wrongdoing, the medical examiner who conducted Johnson’s autopsy, Daniel Araujo, believes it was a homicide.
Araujo, now a neurosurgeon in South America, disclosed signs of foul play, including exposed bone on Johnson’s face and deep boot cuts suggestive of a bladed object impact.
Cooper’s autopsy details were never fully disclosed, but the cause of death was attributed to cranial contusions. Araujo asserted that both climbers were unequivocally killed and that the injuries were not self-inflicted.
Johnson’s grim discovery in 1974 revealed her sun-blackened face fused to the glacier, blood-stained clothing, and indications of a deliberate act, such as missing climbing gear and a large rock atop her.
Fellow climbers initially suspected foul play rather than an accidental fall. Over the years, the incident evolved into legend, with rumors of a love triangle or a quest for treasure circulating.
However, the newly developed photos from Johnson’s camera, showcasing the landscape but offering few insights into her emotions, only deepen the mystery surrounding the events on Aconcagua.
Ulises Corvalan, part of the 2020 expedition that found the camera, initially believed the incident was accidental but now questions that conclusion after reviewing the photos.
The seemingly improbable fatal fall reported on the gentle slope of Aconcagua raises doubts. Robert Bustos, now 76, who once dismissed the 1973 ordeal as a mere mountain accident, concedes to the possibility of foul play in this challenging high-altitude environment with its distinct set of rules.
The mystery endures, with the newfound photos posing more questions than answers about the ill-fated expedition.
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