Peggy Lammers: Murder at the Edge of Paradise

Peggy Lammers was brutally murdered in her family’s idyllic riverside cottage. Police believe she knew her killer. Who would have killed the loving mom and wife? And why?

On a warm July evening in 2017, the Middlesex County Virginia Sheriff’s Department was asked to complete a welfare check. A man named Tony Lammers was calling from his home in Cleveland, Ohio. He had been trying to get in touch with his wife, Margaret “Peggy” Thornton Lammers for the entire day with no response. She was staying at her family’s cottage on Stove Point. His daughter and sister-in-law had also been trying to get in touch with Peggy, and hadn’t been able to reach her either. Peggy being inaccessible was very rare and her loved ones were growing concerned.

A Gruesome Discovery

A deputy was dispatched to the cottage in Deltaville, Virginia. When he arrived at around 6 p.m., he noticed that the front door of the cottage had a muddy footprint on it and the screen from the screen door was slightly torn. Peggy’s car was parked at the home, but no one came to answer the door when the officer knocked. He walked around to the back of the home and noticed one of the neighbors was having a party. He walked over and asked if, by chance, Peggy was at the party. She was not. 

That neighbor walked back over to the cottage with the deputy. The officer noticed the sliding glass door was open, approximately 1.5-2’. It was unlike Peggy to leave it that way. The neighbor stayed on the deck while the officer went inside. There he found Peggy, dead inside the home. Both the floor and her body were covered in blood. There was a footprint in the blood near her body. Peggy herself was barefoot. The medical examiner would later say Peggy was killed by blunt force trauma to the head and that her death had been particularly brutal.

Speaking about that night, Peggy’s sister Anne told WTVM in 2018: “I talked to my brother-in-law about 9, he said they said there are units on the scene, and he didn’t know what that meant.” The family were notified of Peggy’s death soon after her body was discovered.

It was their Camelot

Deltaville, Virginia, is a picturesque and charming waterfront village located in Middlesex County in the eastern part of the state. Surrounded by the waters of the Rappahannock River to the north and the Piankatank River to the south, Deltaville is renowned as the “Boating Capital of the Chesapeake Bay.” Deltaville is a small community, popular with vacationers, sailors, and fishermen. The population triples during the summer months, with many vacation homes dotting the shores.

One such home was owned by the Thornton family. Dr. John and Marjorie Thornton built the home they called “River House” in 1970 on the shores of the Piankatank River. The ranch-style home has an in-ground pool and pool house. The back wall of the home features sliding glass doors, showcasing the panoramic river views, and a large deck with steps leading down to the water. “It’s everyone’s paradise. It’s a place where kids ride their bikes, people ride their golf carts, sail together, it’s family friendly.” Anne told WTVR. As a matter of fact, Anne’s husband Bruce’s family also own a home on the peninsula.

Marjorie Thornton was a medical technologist. Dr. Thornton was a Marine veteran and successful physician. He helped to found Physicians Clinical Laboratories, which merged into what is now LabCorp and Richmond Metropolitan Blood Service, which became Virginia Blood Services. ¹ https://www.wtvr.com/2017/08/04/margaret-thornton-peggy-lammers-obit After their deaths, the family created a scholarship endowment in their memory.

Who Peggy Lammers Was

Peggy Lammers grew up in Richmond, Virginia, with her siblings, Anne and Jack. Her family made frequent trips to the River House, with each sibling bringing their own kids later in life. Peggy had been married to her husband Tony for more than 30 years, and they shared three children, one boy and two girls. They were a tight-knit family.

“She cared deeply for others, constantly putting their needs above her own, especially her family and her children.” Her son Jay told People magazine. “She was very caring, full of energy, very charismatic, funny girl, had a lot of friends, people loved to be around her,” Anne told WTVR.

Marjorie Thornton passed away in 2015. In early 2016, Peggy became her ailing father’s full-time caregiver. His condition made him prone to infections; therefore, he was unable to have many visitors. “She was with him 24/7 until he died,” Anne told reporters. Dr. John Thornton passed away in November 2016 at age 89. After his death, Peggy began going back and forth between her home near Cleveland and her sister’s home in Richmond, VA, while working on settling their parent’s large estate. 

Alone at River House

In 2017, Peggy, her husband Tony, and a handful of other family members celebrated the long Fourth of July weekend at River House. Everyone went back to their homes except for Peggy. She originally went back to Richmond with Anne but ended up going back to Deltaville on Saturday, July 8th. She spoke with several family members throughout the weekend, telling them she intended to go back to Richmond on Monday, 7/10. However, she ultimately decided to stay at the cottage one more night. “It was rare she was here alone and rare she didn’t have her dog with her, or my dog,” Anne told WTVR.

On the evening of Monday, July 10th, Peggy kept in touch with her family. Her last phone call was at 5:13pm, and her last text was sent at 7:13pm. Police have not released who she spoke with. The last data usage on her phone was at 1:18 am early in the morning on 7/11. Data usage is classified as anything other than a text message or phone call. Her family reported that Peggy was an active Facebook user and also enjoyed playing games on her phone. Peggy’s phone has never been recovered, but police believe it was powered off soon after the last data ping.

A Staged Scene

At the cottage, the contents of the medicine cabinet were dumped out in the bathroom sink. Dresser drawers were opened and left on a bed. A heavy telescope was found thrown on the floor. Peggy’s purse was emptied, the contents scattered about. Police believe these were attempts by the killer to make the home look as if it had been ransacked. The only thing actually taken was a 19” TV that sat near the front door of the home. Money and jewelry were left out, and both were left undisturbed.

A kitchen knife was found in the sink. Tests determined that the blade had Peggy’s blood on it, but she had no cuts on her body. Dateline reported that in addition to the knife, police seized several beer bottles and swabbed six items to collect DNA samples.

The cottage sits on Stove Point Road, a one-lane, tree-lined gravel road that leads to the end of the peninsula. This area is primarily a vacation spot, where property crimes tend to rise during the off-season, though violent crimes are extremely rare year-round. While most of the homes here are vacation residences, there are a few full-time residents. Anyone driving down Stove Point Road wouldn’t be able to see River House from the road.

A Killer Close to Home?

“Everybody is a suspect, but we don’t believe there’s an imminent danger, a killer running around Deltaville,” Major Sampson told WTVR in 2018.

In July 2018, police announced that testing found “relevant” DNA at the crime scene.  They know who the DNA belongs to. It is unknown what kind of DNA this is or where exactly it was found. 

In July 2021, four years after her murder, the FBI released a video showing the scene of the crime. In the video, you can see the heavy telescope on the hallway floor. The video also features short snippets from Peggy’s husband and son.

“I cannot get away from the fact that I think it was somebody that my mom knew.” – Jay, Peggy’s Son

Police have told media outlets that they have developed both a suspect and a motive. In an interview with the Murder Sheet Podcast, Detective Chris Gatling said he doesn’t believe Peggy was killed in a burglary gone wrong or that she was killed by a stranger. He said that Peggy wouldn’t have answered the door for someone she didn’t know. If someone knocked on the door, Peggy was known to check a window to see who was there before opening the door. She was known to be very careful and aware. 

Devastation and Heartbreak

Peggy Lammer’s loved ones have been devastated by her murder. The family’s once beloved River House sits hauntingly frozen in time. There have been no more summer gatherings or pool parties since Peggy’s death. Only Anne has walked through the house since that awful July day. “I still view the house as a crime scene,” Anne said. “No one stays there anymore.” ²https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/no-arrests-two-years-after-virginia-murder-ohio-mother-peggy-n1035261 The home is beginning to fall into disrepair as the years pass by with no answers and no justice.

In a letter to the Southside Sentinel, Peggy’s daughter A.J. wrote, “My mom’s story should be about her life. I want her to be remembered for the way she lived and not the manner in which she died. She was a loving mother who raised us with intent and care. She stood up for people and stopped for animals. She lived with a fire in her; her emotions ran the gamut but they were always a force. Her laughter was contagious and her family was her life.” 

“It’s very tragic for me. I miss her every day. I am so heartbroken that she is gone.” Jay to The Daily Beast

“I will never get over losing my sister, my best friend, in our favorite place on earth in such a violent and cruel way,” – Anne to Southside Sentinel

Who Killed Peggy Lammers?

If you have any information on the murder of Peggy Lammers, please call the Middlesex County Sheriff’s Tip Line at 804-758-5600. You can also contact the F.B.I at email tips@fbi.gov or call 804-261-1044 for the Richmond office.