Belvidere, Ill. (AP) - The body of a woman whose identity was unknown for 20 years following her 1999 death has been moved from a cemetery in Wisconsin and reburied next to her family in Illinois.
Peggy Lynn Johnson was known as “Jane Doe” until last November when investigators were able to identify her and arrested 64-year-old Linda La Roche in connection to Johnson’s death.
Investigators said Johnson was 23 when she was killed. She had been badly beaten, burned and tortured, WDJT-TV reported. Her body was found in a Wisconsin cornfield.
“Many of the criminal investigators worked on this case tirelessly to find closure,” said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling.
Johnson’s burial was held Wednesday in Belvidere, Illinois. Relatives, community members and Racine County, Wisconsin, deputies came out to say their goodbyes.
“It does feel like a peaceful end,” Schmaling said. “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.”
Schmaling thanked the community for donations that allowed Johnson’s body to be moved and a proper headstone.
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