Former Jane Doe Peggy Lynn Johnson To Be Buried With Parents

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.

And on March 4, Peggy will be laid to rest next to her mother and grandparents at Highland Garden of Memories, 9800 Highway 76 in Belvidere, Illinois. A service will be held at 11 a.m., and will be attended by Peggy’s family, and will be open to members of the community.

Peggy had been buried as "Jane Doe" at the Holy Family Cemetery in Caledonia since 1999.

"Peggy will be remembered as a gentle, loving, soft spoken soul. Peggy was a caring and dedicated daughter, sister, friend, and child of God. Peggy is survived by her half-sister, aunt, uncle, and cousins," Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said this week. "Due to the sensitive nature surrounding Peggy’s passing, the family is asking for privacy during this difficult time but would like to invite the community to share in Peggy’s service as a celebration of her life."

Authorities in Racine County identified Peggy for the first time publicly on Nov. 8, saying the "Jane Doe" they had been trying to identify for 20 years is Peggy Lynn Johnson of McHenry, Illinois.

Schmaling said Linda Laroche, 64, is accused in Peggy's "barbaric" murder. Laroche is currently being held in the Racine County jail on a $500,000 bond.

The 1999 Murder That Vexed Authorities

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 in Nov. 2019.

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 Peggy 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 Peggy'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 Peggy 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.

Authorities Questioned Laroche

According to a criminal complaint filed in Racine County, investigators questioned Laroche over two days in early November.

Authorities said Laroche admitted to taking Peggy into her home in McHenry around 1994. Investigators said Laroche admitted that she was abusive to Peggy between 1994 and 1999.

Laroche claimed that Peggy 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, police said. 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 police.

According to the criminal complaint, Laroche told investigators that on the night Peggy 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 Peggy dumped the pills down the drain, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, Laroche stated that a few minutes later after dumping the medication down the drain, Peggy fainted, and that she took her 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, police said.

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

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

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