Account
Jan 28, 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Peggy
Ann Lerch
24
24
Unknown inches
White
Female
In the late summer of 1982, a young woman named Peggy Ann Lerch, along with her husband Christopher, vanished from Columbus, Ohio. The 24-year-old and her spouse were last seen on August 14, 1982. Their sudden disappearance would unravel a grim story of betrayal and violence, leaving their families in a state of perpetual uncertainty as their bodies have never been found. The last known whereabouts of Peggy and Christopher were at the apartment of a man they considered a friend, William Dean Wickline Jr. The couple had been at his residence, where the atmosphere was reportedly heavy with drinking and cocaine use. After that day, neither Peggy nor Christopher were ever seen or heard from again, sparking a mystery that would legally be solved, but would never provide the closure of a final resting place. The silence that followed the couple's disappearance stretched on for years until investigators received a crucial break in the case. Wickline's girlfriend at the time, Theresa Kemp, came forward with a horrifying account of the events of that August night. According to her testimony, a dispute erupted between Christopher Lerch and Wickline over a significant drug debt amounting to $6,000. Kemp detailed a brutal sequence of events, stating that Wickline murdered Christopher by slitting his throat. Afterward, while Peggy was asleep, Wickline proceeded to strangle her. Kemp testified that she was forced to assist by holding Peggy's legs during the act. Based largely on Kemp's testimony, William Dean Wickline Jr. was convicted in 1985 for the murders of both Peggy and Christopher Lerch. He received a life sentence for Christopher's murder and the death penalty for Peggy's. The investigation uncovered chilling physical evidence at Wickline's apartment, including the presence of blood in his bathtub and human tissue on a folding saw, which supported Kemp's claims of dismemberment. Kemp stated that after the murders, Wickline dismembered the bodies, placed the remains in trash bags, and disposed of them in various dumpsters throughout the city. Despite extensive searches, no remains of either Peggy or Christopher have ever been recovered. Wickline maintained his innocence throughout his years on death row and exhausted all of his appeals. He was ultimately executed in 2004 for the crime. The case of Peggy Ann Lerch is a tragic one where a conviction was secured and a killer was brought to justice, yet the profound pain for her loved ones remains, as she and her husband have never been found.
Aug 14, 1982
Columbus
Ohio
Columbus
Columbus Police Departmen
614-645-4670
05/11/2026
