Jannette Johnson was a 29-year-old mother of two living in Kankakee, Illinois when she vanished after a night out. On the evening of August 2, 1985, she went to the Party House Bar with friends, parked behind her house and was seen by her daughter Joretha walking toward the door. The next morning there was no sign she had entered the home; her car was in the street with a window partially down, a cigarette in the ashtray, and her coat and purse on a seat.

Remains found in eastern Kankakee County later that year could not be identified at the time. In November 2020 those remains were matched to Jannette through family DNA and the case was classified as a homicide. Jannette was laid to rest in May 2022 and her daughter Joretha continues to seek justice for her mother’s murder.

If anyone has information about Jannette Johnson’s 1985 disappearance and murder, contact the Kankakee Police Department at 815-933-3321.