1999 Jane Doe IDed As Peggy Lynn Johnson; Accused Killer Arrested

RACINE COUNTY, WI — After 20 years, authorities in Racine County say they've learned the identity of a 23-year-old woman who was found dead along the side of a road in rural Racine County, and have also tracked down her killer.

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, in a press briefing on Friday, Nov. 8, said authorities have identified the woman known to them as "Jane Doe" as Peggy Lynn Johnson of McHenry, Illinois.

Schmaling said Linda Laroche, 64, is accused in Johnson's "barbaric" murder. Laroche is currently being held in the Lee County, Florida jail and is awaiting extradition to Wisconsin to face charges.

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According to investigators, on July 21, 1999, a woman walking along 92nd Street between 6 Mile Road and 7 Mile Road in the Town of Raymond in rural Racine County discovered a young woman's body lying in a corn field several feet from the road.

Authorities said the woman suffered from significant injuries, and had been brutalized by many means over a long period of time.

"The utter barbaric brutality inflicted upon this young woman is something none of us will ever forget," Schmaling said Friday.

Schmaling said investigators searched more than 1,000 missing persons cases, conducted investigations in several states, tested her DNA and cross-referenced it in several unidentified victims' databases, and had her body exhumed for chemical isotope testing by the Smithsonian.

"Year after year after year we plugged away, never giving up on this case. A number of weeks ago, our investigative team developed information that led to her identification," Schmaling said.

Schmaling said Johnson was born on March 4, 1976, in McHenry, Illinois, and was 23 years old when she was murdered. Her mother, father and brother are all deceased. She has a sister she has never met, he said.

Schmaling said Johnson's mother died when she was about 18 years old. "After her mother died, Peggy, who was approximately 18 years old, cognitively impaired and on her own, went searching for help at a medical clinic in McHenry, Illinois," Schmaling said. "There, she met a registered nurse named Linda Laroche, who recognized Peggy's disability and took her into her home."

Schmaling said Johnson lived with Lacroche in McHenry for the last five years of her life. There, she suffered long-term and horrific abuse at the hand of Laroche.

According to the Racine County Sheriff's office, Laroche was arrested in her home on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Cape Coral, Florida. Laroche was taken into custody by members of the Racine County Sheriff's investigative team and is awaiting extradition to Wisconsin to face charges.

Johnson has been buried as "Jane Doe" at the Holy Family Cemetery in Caledonia since 1999. In the coming weeks, sheriff's officials say they will make arrangements for Johnson to be buried alongside her mother in Belvidere, Illinois, "so she can be laid to rest with her true identity and in peace," Schmaling said.

"This is a day of mixed emotions for all of us. We are angered by the senseless and brutal murder of this young woman, and we want justice served. And yet we are very proud today by the fact that we can offer some closure and some peace," Schmaling said.

Authorities Question Laroche

According to a criminal complaint filed in Racine County, investigators questioned Laroche over two days in early November. Laroche, who has been arrested, is currently being confined in the Lee County, Florida jail awaiting extradition. She had a $1 million warrant out for her arrest, according to court documents posted online in Wisconsin.

Authorities said Johnson admitted to taking Johnson into her home in McHenry around 1994. Investigators said Laroche admitted that she was abusive to Johnson between 1994 and 1999. Laroche claimed that Johnson would steal, have men come to see her at their house, and that she would go into the crawlspace of their house to steal medications. Laroche claimed that she worked in a jail program as a nurse and that the facility had no monitoring of their drugs, so she brought them home and hid them in her crawl space.

According to the criminal complaint, Laroche told investigators that on the night Johnson went missing, Laroche came home and found her standing at the kitchen counter with pills in her hands. Laroche stated to investigators that she asked what was going on and that Johnson dumped the pills down the drain.

Laroche stated that a few minutes later after dumping the medication down the drain, Johnson fainted and that she took Peggy outside for fresh air. She stated she didn’t know what to do and that she thought about calling an ambulance but later decided against it.

According to the criminal complaint, Laroche said Johnson's eyes were fluttering, but she eventually woke up. Laroche advised that at this point, she decided she couldn’t handle Peggy anymore.

When questioned by investigators, Laroche eventually said she drove Johnson to a rural area in Wisconsin, and left her by the side of the road.

Laroche has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. If convicted, Laroche, 64, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.