A Brother's Quest for Truth: Unraveling a Suspicious Death

Joe Hunter, a firefighter from Sacramento, California, found himself on the reality show "Survivor" not just to compete, but to honor his late sister, Joanna. Her death, initially ruled a suicide, has always felt like an unfinished story to Joe. He believes his sister was murdered, and he's on a mission to prove it. On the night of October 6, 2011, Joanna was found dead in her home. The scene was grim: she was hanging inside a bedroom closet, a bathrobe sash around her neck. Her husband, Mark Lewis, a pastor at The Fellowship Baptist Church, was the one who found her. He called 911, but his demeanor was odd, and he refused to discuss what he had seen. The deputy who arrived at the scene found no signs of a struggle, but there was an open suitcase and a note that read, "Take care of the dogs. " Joe and his mother, Patricia, were devastated. They knew Joanna had a history of abuse at the hands of Mark Lewis. She had tried to leave him many times, but always returned. At 17, she came home with a black eye. At 20, she documented Lewis choking her and got a restraining order. At 21, she reported that Lewis grabbed her neck and twisted it, leading to another restraining order. In 1996, she was hospitalized with a sprained neck, and Lewis was convicted of domestic violence. Yet, she always went back to him. The family's suspicions grew when they learned that Lewis had a history of manipulation and control. Former church members described him as a commanding and demanding presence, with a fiery style of preaching. He had too much control over them, and they felt brainwashed. Lewis had also been accused of violence against another woman, Sarah Nottingham, and was arrested for arson, conspiracy, and stalking. He was sentenced to eight years in prison but was released on parole after serving five years. The family's quest for justice led them to Dr. Bill Smock, a medical doctor who has reviewed thousands of autopsies. He believed that Joanna's death was a homicide, not a suicide. He found two different ligature marks on her neck, one from the sash and one from a marine rope found in the closet. He believed that Joanna was killed with the rope, and then the bathrobe sash was used to stage the scene as a suicide. However, the Solano County Sheriff's Office disagreed. They maintained that there was no evidence to support the involvement of another person in Joanna's death. They also argued that the anonymous male DNA found on the bathrobe sash was not enough to reopen the case. The family's attempts to get the sheriff's office to take another look at Lewis were getting no results until Patricia got a knock on the door from a reporter. The family's fight for justice led to the creation of Joanna's Law, which requires investigators responding to reported suicides, drug overdoses, or fatal accidents to check for a history of domestic violence. The law was passed unanimously in California and went into effect on January 1, 2025. The family hopes that the law will help save lives and shine the way forward for survivors of domestic violence. Joe Hunter is determined to keep his sister's memory alive and to advocate for other victims of domestic violence. He plans to compete again in "Survivor" season 50 to keep attention on his sister's case and to honor her legacy.