Mississippi woman accused of killing son and leaving body in wooden box behind fake wall

GULFPORT, Miss. (TCD) — Police arrested a 66-year-old woman on suspicion of killing her son after his body was found inside a box in her home.

The Gulfport Police Department announced Jan. 20 they took Jerri Lynn Isreal into custody on a charge of first-degree murder for the death of her son, John Allen Gaither.

Police went to Isreal’s home on Dec. 22 to conduct a welfare check on Gaither and conducted several follow-up interviews on Dec. 27. Gulfport Police reportedly “began noticing discrepancies” in her statements and noted she “became increasingly uncooperative.”

Isreal was convicted of murder in 1995 in Florida and she “made several attempts to dump the deceased subject at different locations throughout Florida,” according to the statement. After learning that information, investigators obtained a warrant to search her home on 16th Avenue.

On the morning of Jan. 18, Gulfport Police Department detectives and Crime Scene Technicians executed the warrant and searched Isreal’s home. Isreal reportedly needed to be transported to a hospital for medical treatment at the same time. While looking through the residence, detectives discovered a wood box with Gaither’s body in it. Police said the box was found “behind a false wall.”

Isreal was booked into the Harrison County Adult Detention Center on a charge of first-degree murder.

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