What Happened to Survivor 48's Joe Hunter's Sister Joanna Hunter? Her Death Explained
Survivor 48 viewers were so moved by contestant Joe Hunter's heartbreaking revelation about his sister's death due to domestic violence. In Touch takes a closer look at what happened to Joanna Hunter and how Joe helped create a new law following her tragic passing.
Joe revealed to fellow castaways Shauhin Davari and Kyle Fraser that his sister died and was an alleged victim of domestic violence, admitting that he felt like he failed as a big brother in his job to protect her in the Survivor episode that aired on May 14, 2025.
What the firefighter didn't share was that his sister's death on October 6, 2011, was ruled a suicide after a brief investigation by Solano County, California law enforcement, even though her husband, Mark Wayne Lewis, had a history of domestic violence. No autopsy was performed on Joanna.
Authorities reopened an investigation into Joanna's death after the former pastor pleaded no contest to arson and stalking involving an ex-girlfriend in January 2015, on the third day of his trial.
The following month, Lewis was sentenced to eight years in state prison, although no charges were ever brought in Joanna's death.
"We feel and have felt that he's responsible for Joanna's death," Joe's mom, Patricia Hunter, told Sacramento TV station ABC10 following Lewis' sentencing on unrelated charges.
"She was leaving him, and he couldn't let that happen," she alleged, adding that Joanna had previously left Lewis before.
The outlet cited a coroner's report that Joanna was found hanging by the belt of her terrycloth robe in her closet, with her "partially suspended feet touching the floor." The station reported that a handwritten note reading, "take care of the dogs and Jerri" was considered by the coroner to be a suicide note.
Joe's family sought justice in his sister's case. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Joanna's Law in September 2024, after the bill passed both the state senate and assembly.
The law became the "first statute in the country to set standards for addressing and investigating suspicious death cases where women die after a prior history of domestic violence," according to Alliance for Hope International, which helped write the bill.
Joanna's Law also gave family members the right to death records of their lost loved ones "when there is a prior history of domestic violence, recognizes family members in suspicious death cases as survivors of crime deserving of victim services and support, and adds apparent suicides and apparent accidental deaths with a history of prior domestic violence as deserving of special consideration for autopsies by medical examiners and coroners."
The Vacaville, California, resident explained his sister was the one who pushed him to go on the show in interviews leading up to the season's premiere.
'She watched from the first season of Survivor. And she actually wanted us to both try out for this. And to be honest, I didn't think we could. And I kind of just brushed it off and said there's no way we could. And unfortunately, we lost her pretty quickly,' Joe told Parade in a February 7, 2025, interview.
'And I look back on that, and it took me years to really recover from that. And I said, 'You know what I'm gonna do for my sister? This is something she always wanted to do. I never had the courage to do it. But this is part of the healing process,'" he explained. "This is for Joanna. And I'm gonna be out here as Joanna's voice. And I think she'd be proud so far.'
The fire captain had been seen all season wearing a purple domestic violence awareness bracelet. He finally revealed the reason behind it while sharing the story about Joanna's death with Shauhin and Kyle while at the Sanctuary.
They were able to read letters from their loved ones, and Joe broke down when one of his kids called him "brave." He said he didn't feel that way after not being able to prevent his sister's death from a domestic violence situation.
Joe then recalled how he and Joanna had a fight over the phone the night before she was found dead. He said they always ended phone calls with "I love you," but didn't on that occasion and he was never able to speak to her again.
'I needed some closure to try to hopefully help start some healing,' Joe said in confessional back at camp before heading to the beach at sunset during week 12's episode of Survivor 48.
'Final six, Joanna. The night before you passed, I said some things I didn't mean, and I never spoke to you again past that morning. I feel closer out here to you, so from the bottom of my heart, I'm so sorry for the things I said,' he said through tears while looking up at the sky.
'I know you didn't mean the things you said either, and I never got the chance to say I love you. So, I love you. Always will. Most of all, I know I had one job as a brother. So, I need you to know that I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from that monster. I'm sorry. I'm gonna keep fighting out here," he continued.
"You take care of dad up there. Make sure he's not cheating at Uno. I love you. I miss you so much … I've been waiting to say that to you for a long time," Joe added, finally feeling at peace.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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