Man’s body found in wooden box behind fake wall - leading to mom’s arrest, cops say
A Mississippi woman is charged with first-degree murder after police say they found a missing man’s body hidden in her home.
On Dec. 22, Gulfport police were called to a home to do a welfare check on a possible missing person, according to a Facebook post by the police department.
Detectives questioned 66-year-old Jerri Lynn Isreal at the time.
Five days later, on Dec. 27, detectives followed up with Isreal but say they began to notice some discrepancies.
“Throughout the course of the investigation, Isreal became increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times,” police said.
Investigators discovered that Isreal was convicted of murder in 1995 in Florida and “made several attempts to dump the deceased subject at different locations throughout Florida.”
After learning this, they obtained a search warrant for the residence.
On Jan. 18, detectives searched the home and found a wooden box behind a false wall. Inside the box, police say they found the body of John Allen Gaither.
Gaither, 42, was Isreal’s son, according to WLOX.
The box was described as a “military locker-style container,” according to Magnolia State Live.
At the time police searched the home, they said Isreal was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
She was then taken to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center to be held in lieu of her bond.
Isreal was charged with first-degree murder on Jan. 20, police say.
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