She Was a 'Jane Doe' for 20 Years. Then Police Learned Someone She'd Trusted Did the Unthinkable

Mar. 15, 2025

Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder (left) and Linda LaRoche.Photo:Racine County Sheriffs Office

Racine County Sheriffs Office

However, authorities were unable to identify the woman, and she was buried in a grave under the moniker “Jane Doe” for the next 20 years as the investigation went cold.

A breakthrough came in 2019 when advanced DNA tests identified her as 23-year-old Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder. The sheriff’s office said Johnson-Schroeder was living with a woman named Linda LaRoche and her family in McHenry, Ill., prior to her death.

Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder.Racine County Sheriff’s Office

That year, LaRoche, then 64, was arrested in Florida, where investigators claimed she gave “inconsistent statements about her interactions" with Johnson-Schroeder — including how the victim had stopped living with her family, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said they received a tip in September 2019 about LaRoche, who had been telling people that she had killed a woman when she lived in Illinois, per theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel.  LaRoche was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in connection with Johnson-Schroeder’s death.

Prior to her death, Johnson-Schroeder, who was cognitively impaired and homeless, had sought help from LaRoche, a nurse, following the loss of her mother. In 1994, LaRoche agreed to take her in on the condition that she would work as a nanny and housekeeper for the family, theMilwaukee Journal Sentinelreported, citing the complaint.

Linda LaRoche.Lee County Sheriff’s Office

Lee County Sheriff’s Office

In 2022, a Racine County jury found LaRoche guilty of Johnson-Schroeder’s murder. In February 2024, a judge denied LaRoche’s appeal to overturn her conviction, according to theRacine County Eye.

She claimed the outcome of her trial could have been different if the jury had been aware of a similar murder that occurred months after Johnson-Schroeder, which could have pointed to another suspect, theRacine County Eyereported. LaRoche’s new attorney also claimed that the evidence against her client was mainly circumstantial, per the outlet.

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The remains of Johnson-Schroeder were moved to a burial plot closer to her family in northern Illinois, thanks to local donations. The sheriff’s office said the Draeger-Lagendorf Funeral Home even donated a headstone.

Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder.Racine County Sheriffs Office

“It does feel like a peaceful end,” Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said in 2020, perCBS 58. “I think the family has found some closure now that she’s been identified and is in her final resting place never to be disturbed again.”

source: people.com