Rachael Johnson, 24, was last seen alive during the overnight hours of March 30, 1991.
/ Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative
AKRON -- The killer of a 24-year-old woman remains free more than two decades after her murder, but Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine hopes to breathe new life into this cold case through the Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative.
Rachael Johnson was last seen alive during the overnight hours of March 30, 1991. Her body was found later that day in the 700 block of Weller Avenue. Authorities report that Johnson had been sexually assaulted, stabbed and set on fire.
"It hasn't been easy, and no matter what you do there is always that emptiness," said Rachael's step-mother, June Johnson. "We never thought that 23 years later we would still be wondering."
According to Akron police, Rachael had been in a friend's vehicle when they got a flat tire and pulled into a parking lot on Dan Street and Glenwood Avenue. A faded gray vehicle followed them and authorities say Johnson either got into the vehicle or was forced inside by its driver.
"We do have DNA evidence in this case and we have tested dozens of possible suspects, but we have not yet found a match," Akron Police Detective James Pasheilich said. "We believe the person who committed this horrific crime is still out there and may have talked with someone about the crime."
Johnson's daughter was only 3 years old when she was murdered, leaving the little girl with few memories of her mother.
"The person who killed Rachael robbed her daughter of her mother. We tried to fill in, but you can't fill that kind of void," June said.
Johnson's case is part of the Ohio Unsolved Homicides Initiative, a database of about 1,102 cold cases in the state. Anyone with information can submit a tip through the attorney general's website, the Akron Police Department's website or by calling Akron police at (330)-375-2552.
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