Was Survivor star Joe Hunter’s sister murdered? 48 Hours breaks down the chilling details in its new true crime episode

The death of Joanna Hunter, the older sister of Survivor contestant Joe Hunter, was officially ruled a suicide by authorities in 2011. Yet, her family maintains that she was murdered by her husband, Mark Lewis, a pastor who discovered her body.

Joanna, 36 at the time, was found hanging in a bedroom closet in their Vacaville, California, home after a 911 call from a church member. While an autopsy supported the suicide conclusion, questions linger due to her history of domestic abuse, a suspicious note, and unidentified DNA evidence.

Joe, a Sacramento firefighter who competed on Survivor seasons 48 and 50 to honor her, has led efforts to reopen the case, highlighting patterns of violence that may have escalated fatally. 

The new 48 Hours season 39,  episode 10, Joe Hunter's Mission, explores these details through interviews with family, experts, and former associates of Lewis. It aired on CBS on December 14, 2025, and is available for streaming on Paramount+ and the CBS News app.

48 Hours: The discovery of Joanna Hunter and initial response

On October 6, 2011, around 9:25 p.m., a church member called 911 after Mark Lewis reported finding his wife, Joanna Hunter, unresponsive in their Vacaville, California, home. Lewis, the pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, told dispatchers he had no idea what happened and needed help fast.

A deputy arrived four minutes later, cut Joanna down from a bathrobe sash tied to a closet rod, and noted no signs of a struggle in the room. 

An open suitcase sat nearby with a note inside that read, "Take care of dogs." Lewis was briefly handcuffed and questioned but released after giving a statement.

He said he last saw Joanna Hunter at 1 p.m. that day and had spent the afternoon playing basketball with church members. Joanna Hunter's mother, Patricia Hunter, learned of the death the next day from a church deacon, while Joe Hunter heard from his firehouse captain. 

An external autopsy found ligature marks on her neck consistent with hanging, and a toxicology report a month later showed no drugs or alcohol.

The Solano County Sheriff's Office closed the case as a suicide without treating the scene as a crime site, skipping fingerprints or DNA tests, as per CBS News.

A pattern of domestic abuse

Joanna Hunter endured years of abuse from Mark Lewis, her high school boyfriend, whom she married secretly at age 25.

Their relationship began with control and escalated to physical violence. At 17, Joanna Hunter suffered a black eye from Lewis, and by her early 20s, she obtained two restraining orders against him for choking and strangling incidents. 

In 1996, Lewis was convicted of domestic violence against her and sentenced to 36 months in Solano County Jail. Despite this, Joanna returned to him multiple times, including after nearly leaving for good a year before her death, at her mother's urging.

Church members described Lewis as manipulative, running the congregation like a cult with strict rules.

Former deacon Jacob Cantrell recalled Lewis isolating Joanna Hunter and punishing her publicly. Just weeks before her death, Joanna confided in her family about planning to leave permanently, packing a suitcase.

Experts note that strangulation in abusive relationships raises the risk of homicide by 750%, and Joanna Hunter's history included repeated neck injuries, according to CBS News

Investigations and conflicting evidence

The case reopened in 2014 after Lewis's arrest for arson and stalking his next partner, Sarah Nottingham, whom he tried to firebomb.

Media attention prompted the Solano County Sheriff's Office to reinterview witnesses, revealing gaps in Lewis's basketball alibi, as he left to drive teens home. A second pathologist still ruled suicide, and Lewis declined questioning. 

In 2015, the District Attorney tested the bathrobe sash for DNA, finding Joanna's and an unknown male's, not Lewis's, entered into a database but unmatched.

The case closed again. In 2023, the sheriff hired forensic pathologist Dr. Bill Smock, who analyzed photos and concluded homicide: Joanna Hunter was strangled with a braided nylon rope found three feet away, then staged hanging with the sash postmortem. 

Ligature marks showed two distinct patterns. Another expert, Dr. Brian Peterson, disagreed, affirming suicide with no force signs.

Captain Jackson Harris of the sheriff's office acknowledged that modern protocols, like checking abuse history, would change the approach today. No charges were filed against Lewis, as reported by CBS News.

Joe's advocacy and Joanna Hunter's legacy

Joe Hunter has turned grief into action, competing on Survivor to keep his sister's story alive. In season 48, he broke down on camera, saying, 

"I miss you so much... I love you," 

dedicating his run to Joanna Hunter. He plans to return for season 50. Since 2011, Joe confronted Lewis physically once but stopped to protect family ties. After Lewis's 2014 conviction, serving five years before parole, Joe pushed officials to reinvestigate, test evidence, and pass laws.

With help from advocates Casey Gwinn and Gael Strack of Alliance for HOPE International, the family created a checklist of 10 red flags for hidden homicides in abuse cases. This led to Senate Bill 989, "Joanna's Law," signed January 1, 2025, mandating domestic violence checks in suspicious deaths.

The California Department of Justice now reviews the decision not to charge Lewis, who lives in Arizona and works in plumbing. Sarah Nottingham, Lewis's ex, supports the murder claim based on her own abuse.

Joe's efforts highlight Joanna Hunter's compassionate spirit as a protective sister and animal lover, as per CBS News.

Watch 48 Hours season 39 streaming on CBS.