The minute he hit the beaches of Survivor, Joe Hunter was talking about his sister, Joanna. The Season 48 finalist became an instant fan favorite for his open heart and relationship with fellow player Eva Erickson. In fact, Joe made such a big impact that he was given the call to return to our screens next season in the landmark Survivor 50. But the entire reason he stepped into the Fijian sand in the first place was to honor Joanna after her tragic death.
“Survivor,for me, really came about from my sister,” Joe told Parade in an interview on the island prior to Season 48. “Unfortunately, I lost my sister to domestic violence a couple of years ago, and she really was the driving force in this. 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,” he revealed. “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.’ This is for Joanna. And I’m gonna be out here as Joanna’s voice. And I think she’d be proud.”
Now a brighter spotlight is being shone on Joanna Hunter and her death in a new episode of 48 Hours, airing Saturday, Dec. 13. Titled “Joe Hunter’s Mission,” the piece from correspondent Natalie Morales tells the story of Joanna, her troubled marriage with pastor Mark Lewis, and Joe’s belief that his sister was murdered.
Here’s everything to know about Joe Hunter’s sister Joanna, including how she died, her husband Mark, and how her memory was honored in Survivor.
Related: ‘Survivor 48’ Finalist Joe Hunter Reacts to His Surprising Loss: ‘It All Falls on Me’ (Exclusive)
Who is Joe Hunter from Survivor’s sister?
Joe’s sister is Joanna Hunter. She was his older sibling and the first child of Patricia Hunter and Joseph Hunter, Jr.
When did Joe Hunter from Survivor’s sister die?
Joanna Hunter died on Oct. 6, 2011. This date is according to a clip that was aired on CBS Mornings ahead of the 48 Hours episode.
How old was Joe Hunter’s sister when she died?
According to the Center for Family Justice, Joanna Hunter was born on Oct. 27, 1974. That means she was 36 years old when she died, just three weeks before her 37th birthday.
How did Joe Hunter’s sister from Survivor die?
On the night of Oct. 6, the Salano County Sheriff’s Department found Joanna’s body after getting a call to 9-1-1. After investigating the scene, they ruled her death a suicide. However, it was a narrative that Joe and his family never truly believed.
“I know in my heart that Mark killed my sister, and he staged it to make her look like she hung herself,” he outright says to 48 Hours. The episode will subsequently explore the background of both Joanna and Mark Lewis, as well as forensic theories as to whether indeed her suicide was meant to be a cover-up.
Who is Mark Lewis?
Mark Lewis is a former pastor at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Vacaville, California. He was the husband of Joanna Hunter up until her death. And, while he was the one to place the call to 9-1-1 about her suicide, 48 Hours focuses on his history of domestic violence with his wife, and whether he may have been responsible for her death. She had previously sought restraining orders against him on multiple instances due to acts of physical violence against her.
Did Mark Lewis go to jail for Joe Hunter’s sister’s death?
As Joanna Hunter’s death has been ruled a suicide by the police, Mark Lewis has not been tried or convicted for any possible involvement. That does not mean the former pastor didn’t spend time behind bars, however. Three years after Joanna’s death, he was sentenced to eight years in prison after hiring three people to throw a Molotov cocktail into the house of his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Nottingham. She told 20/20 in 2014 that she and Mark had become secret lovers shortly after losing his wife.
What is “Joanna’s Law”?
While Joe Hunter and his family still seek a form of justice in Joanna’s death, they have been doing work over the years to help those in similar situations. Working with California state senator Angelique Ashby, they wrote Bill 989, which would give the extended families of domestic violence victims the right to request additional investigation, as well as require investigators reporting on suicides and drug overdoses to look into whether the victim was involved in a history of domestic violence.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed “Joanna’s Law” on Sept 27. 2024, saying in a statement, “I am proud to sign these laws to help victims escape their abusers and provide them with financial tools and security to rebuild their lives. Today, we are putting into place new resources to support survivors and secure justice to hold abusers accountable.”
Did Joe Hunter talk about his sister on Survivor?
Despite Joanna’s fandom and death being a major reason why Joe was out on the island, the vast majority of Survivor 48 did not make any mention of her. That is, until a reward in the penultimate episode gave him a chance to read letters from home. With family on the mind, he walked down to the shore the next morning to talk with his sister, hoping to bring some closure after an argument they had, which wound up being the final time the two would speak.
“I feel closer out here to you,” he told her. “So, bottom of my heart, I’m so sorry for the things I said. 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 to do as a brother. So I need you to know that I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you from that monster.”
“The weight of that with my sister, I’ve been carrying on for so long,” Joe said about the moment in a postseason interview with Parade. “Everything I do every day, every weight I lift – which I do a lot of – is in six for Joanna. The letters in her name: J-O-A-N-N-A. And we got down to six, and she was with me, and I felt that. And out there, it was just like, ‘This is time.’
“And I also wanted to do it for everyone that’s suffering from domestic violence or in a horrible situation, just to see like, ‘Man, this dude is just going to let it fly.’ And it is something that I will never, ever be able to explain. I’m so grateful to Survivor, to production, to everybody that allowed me to do that and then allowed it to air like that. I was just grateful.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, help is available 24 hours a day through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
Related: Meet the Full Cast of ‘Survivor 50’
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.