Racine County Jane Doe Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder receives proper headstone
RACINE -- The woman who was known for two decades as Jane Doe finally has a proper headstone identifying her by her given name, Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder. The current headstone, which reads “Jane Doe,” has been replaced with Peggy’s monument which was designed with the family’s assistance.
Selena Sura
Even in the bitter cold, people are coming to pay their respects.
"I had no idea who she was, I've been coming to her grave for the past 15-years. It just felt right, especially when she got her name down, that will be there," said Selena Sura, came to pay respect.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office made it a priority to replace “Jane Doe’s” headstone and did not want Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder to go another day without her given name after being unknown to the world for more than two decades.
Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder
Christopher Schmaling
"We did not want to go, as I mentioned earlier, another day without having her be properly identified," said Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling. "We know that her name now is Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder, and we're very, very excited about getting her that identification."
Sheriff Christopher Schmaling says after going so long without a name, this woman deserves a proper burial. And working with some local companies this headstone came to fruition.
"It was absolutely amazing to see it actually on stone and not just on a little piece of paper," Sura.
But the generosity didn't stop there.
"We're not able to look ahead at her birthday. I thought that would just be a wonderful birthday gift. Given the fact that it's March 4, it's spring. We can move her next to her mother in Belvidere, Illinois," said Schmaling.
However, the birthday gift appears to be more difficult than they first thought.
"While also in researching where her mother is laid to rest, we noticed she doesn't have a gravestone either. So we're trying to gather the funds necessary, and asking our community for assistance with that to properly identify her mother," said Schmaling.
It will cost $4,000 to move her and get her mother a headstone.
Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder
"She was close with her mother, and to see that her final resting place is now going to be with somebody that she loved more than anything, instead of up here where she knows nobody, it's phenomenal," said Sura.
A small price to pay, this group says, to help this woman finally find peace.
"Let's not forget about her again," said Sura.