Jannette Johnson was a 29 year old mother of two children living in Kankakee, Illinois at the time of her disappearance. She was known to be spicy, but was loved by everyone around her.

On the evening of August 2, 1985, Jannette went out with some friends to the Party House Bar before returning home. She parked her car behind her house, and her daughter Joretha saw and heard her walking up to the door before she pretended to be asleep.

The next morning, there was no sign that Jannette had entered the house. Her car was now parked in the street out front, with a window partially rolled down, a cigarette in the ashtray, and Jannette's coat and purse on one of the seats. Joretha called her mother's workplace and her grandmother, and Jannette was soon reported missing.

In late 1985, remains were found in eastern Kankakee County but were not able to be identified at the time. In November of 2020, using DNA from Jannette's family members, the remains were able to be positively identified as belonging to Jannette. Her case officially became a homicide investigation. Jannette was laid to rest in May 2022, and Joretha continues to seek justice for her mother's murder.

If you have any information about the 1985 disappearance and murder of Jannette Johnson, please contact the Kankakee Police Department at 815-933-3321.