Authorities in Florida, Alabama and Georgia are searching for a woman who is wanted on suspicion of murder in connection to the death of a father whose remains were found in a shallow grave.
Read more Manhunt widens for Florida murder suspect using disguises to evade police: ‘Master manipulator’
Walton County investigators are offering up to $16,000 for information leading to the arrest of 38-year-old Isabelle Rose Johnson after a nearly month-long search.
Johnson is described as a “master manipulator” who “disguises herself well,” according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
She is wanted in the death of 43-year-old Jason Coulthart, whose body was found on June 25 on a property in Freeport, just north of the Emerald Coast beaches in the Florida Panhandle.
Johnson is approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds, authorities said. She has brown hair that investigators believe may have been cut short and dyed to disguise her identity. Investigators believe she has a floral tattoo on her left hand near her thumb and another on her right ankle.
Johnson is known to use multiple aliases including “Harley,” “Jessica Elaine Bowman,” “Jessica Elaine Thrush,” “Jessica Elaine Thrash,” “Jessica Dowdy” and possibly “Denise,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Justice is coming. Isabelle. Harley. Jessica. Whatever you’re calling yourself now. Turn yourself in. Enough is enough,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
Five people have been arrested and charged with accessory after the fact in connection to Coulthart’s death, the sheriff’s office said.
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Bobbi Wagstaff, 31, and Martin and Sandra Leaverton, both 63 years old, of Fort Walton Beach were arrested earlier this month and charged with accessory after the fact to capital murder for allegedly helping Johnson evade police. A week later, authorities arrested Michael Ray White, 74, and Kathleen Morris, 59, of Santa Rosa Beach, on similar charges.
Coulthar had been reported missing on May 24 and his body was discovered a month later, on June 25. The New Jersey native is survived by his 20-year-old son, parents and younger brother.
“Today, while the search for answers continues, Jason’s parents want people to remember the person behind the case,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Their son. Timothy’s big brother. A father. A friend. Someone who showed up. Someone who made people feel cared for. Someone worth knowing. Someone worth finding justice for.”
The sheriff’s office released a last known video of Johnson obtained from a business in Destin days after Coulthart’s remains were found. She is considered dangerous and officials warned she may claim to be dealing with hardships, like domestic violence, to convince people to give her rides, money or other help.
“Our mission right now is finding her so that way we can hold her accountable for the homicide,” said Walton County Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information on Johnson and her whereabouts to call (850) 892-8111.
Anonymous tips may be submitted through Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 863-TIPS.
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