Police looking for man who killed woman, left her body in yard

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Wednesday night Spencer police released the name of a woman they found dead in the 700 block of Fourth Street earlier that morning. Officers said Toney Johnson's body was found between two homes in that neighborhood around 9:00 a.m. 

Officer spent hours in the neighborhood gathering clues.  They also asked law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for Rodney Wallace.  They said Wallace is 6 feet 1 inch and weighs about 200 pounds.  They said he might be operating or the passenger in a 1998 Black Mazda Protege with NC Tag number CBD 5377.

They said Wallace should be considered armed and dangerous. 

Eyewitness News checked and found he was convicted of assault on a female and domestic criminal trespass just three months ago.

School officials said they put North Rowan Elementary, Middle, and High school on lockdown as officers searched for Wallace in the area. 

Timothy Robinson lives near the crime scene and said he has kids in two of the schools.

"They had activities they couldn't do outside because of the lockdown," he said.

Deputies have called this a domestic situation, but they haven't said how Wallace is related to the victim or how she was killed.

WSOC