Cops say the woman — who has a previous murder conviction under her belt — attempted to hide the crime by pretending to be him in letters to family members in which he insisted he was okay.
A 66-year-old Mississippi woman is accused of killing her son and hiding his body in her home, before pretending to be him to keep up the ruse he was still alive to other family members.
Over the weekend, the Gulfport Police Department arrested Jerry Roby, who also goes by the last name Isreal, and charged her with the murder of her 42-year-old son, John Allen Gaither, after discovering his body behind a “false wall.”
The investigation began back on December 22, when the police department responded to a welfare concern for Gaither, who had been reported missing by out of state relatives. Per CNN, citing Gulfport Police Department spokesman, Jason DuCré, family members last made contact with him on December 10.
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As police investigated, they said they began “noticing discrepancies in statements provided by Isreal,” claiming she became “increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times” in the days that followed.
During the investigation, detectives discovered Isreal had a past murder conviction, saying in a press release she killed someone in the ’90s and “subsequently made several attempts to dump the deceased subject at different locations throughout Florida.” With that information, detectives were able to obtain a search warrant.
They then conducted a search of the residence on January 18th, with police saying Isreal ingested “a handful of unspecified pills” when they walked into the home. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment, while authorities searched the home.
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“During the search of the residence, a wooden box containing a deceased subject, later identified as John Allen Gaither, was located behind a false wall,” said police.
According to DuCré, Isreal attempted to cover up her son’s death by writing notes to family members in his name, saying he was okay.
She’s since been charged with one count of 1st Degree Murder; after her release from the hospital, she’s being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center without bond.
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