An unfortunate update on the Nashville man missing part of his head. An homeless individual in the Downtown Nashville area recently had the internet perplexed and buzzing about his health. Various people on social media claimed to have seen a
man walking around without half of his head , and a Reddit board was incredibly active as many witnesses to the severely injured man gave their version of the story. https://twitter.com/NkosiAR/status/1834621831904473217 Several people on the subreddit dedicated to Nashville claimed that they had seen and interacted with the man, with many confirming that they have called 911 for help and others saying that they offered assistance and the man declined. Others online stated that he’s been out walking around with his open head wound for years – with some reporting seeing him as far back as 2021, though that now seems to be debunked. A positive update was provided back in September, when it was reported that a good samaritan and a member of the News Channel 5 team had tracked down the man - 39-year-old Jonathan Johnson - and gotten him help. The homeless man explained that he was hit by a car seven years ago and had to have a plate put in his head. He then moved to Nashville and at one point in the past year, he suffered an injury that required the plate to be taken out. Johnson apparently left before the hospital could replace the plate, and it’s still unknown why When he was tracked down by News Channel 5's Nick Beres and another concerned citizen, he was taken to the Tri Star Summit Medical Center for an evaluation, and the medical providers there cleaned his open wound (from when he had a metal plate removed and never replaced) and gave him next steps for getting the wound closed back up. Johnson was then placed into a group home, thanks to some help from Nashville Councilman Jordan Huffman, who is a Vice Chair on the Public Health and Safety Committee and a member of Nashville’s Homelessness Planning Council. When we last heard from Johnson, he was happy to be off the streets and on a path to get his head wound closed up. However, it now appears that he's refusing help once again, deciding to leave the group home and going back to living on the streets. The Nashville man - who is schizophrenic - is reportedly wandering around again, and won't agree to be helped. Councilman Huffman told
News Channel 5 that Johnson's situation is "a symptom of a larger problem of not enough case workers and beds for those dealing with mental issues," and also stated that he's "hopeful Johnson can still get the help he needs, but part of the issue is getting him to agree to it." Here's hoping that he can get the help he needs - and that he's eventually willing to accept it.
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