Murder suspect Isabelle Johnson was taken into custody Thursday after authorities spent weeks tracking her across Florida, Georgia and Alabama, officials said.
Johnson, 38, was arrested by a U.S. Marshals task force at a residence in Cottondale, roughly an hour west of Tallahassee, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
She was being sought on a murder charge connected to the death of Jason Coulthart, whose body was discovered June 25 in a shallow grave in Florida.
Authorities said Johnson was arrested without incident Thursday afternoon, ending a 45-day manhunt. She was booked into the Jackson County Jail and is expected to be extradited to Walton County, where officials said additional charges may be filed.
Law enforcement officers arrested Isabelle Johnson on Thursday after a weeks-long search across Florida, Georgia and Alabama. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
“We got her,” the sheriff’s office said. “Isabelle Johnson is in custody.”
Officials said the break in the case came from information developed by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit regarding Johnson’s location.
Jackson County Sheriff Donald Edenfield said that once the information was received, his deputies joined task force members in responding to an address off Peanut Road, just outside Cottondale.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson praised the cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that led to Johnson’s arrest.
A U.S. Marshals task force arrested murder suspect Isabelle Johnson at a home near Cottondale, Florida, on Thursday, according to authorities. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
“It’s absolutely a good day,” Cosson said. “It’s really important, again, just want to stress to the public. She’s here, she’s in custody.”
“We can’t express the amount of appreciation for the work that’s been done,” he added.
Cosson said investigators put in “tons and tons of man hours” during the roughly 45-day search for Johnson, while noting that the broader investigation has involved more than 40 subpoenas and over 20 search warrants.
Coulthart was reported missing May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums on East College Boulevard in Niceville.
Isabelle Johnson, 38, was taken into custody Thursday after a roughly 45-day manhunt spanning Florida, Georgia and Alabama. She is charged with murder in the death of Jason Coulthart. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
During the missing-person investigation, detectives developed information that led authorities to a property off Sunset Lane in Freeport. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found Coulthart’s body buried in a shallow grave on June 25, according to the sheriff’s office.
Five other people have been arrested in connection with the case. Michael Ray White, Kathleen Morris, Bobbi Wagstaff, Martin Leaverton and Sandra Leaverton have been charged with accessory to a capital felony after the fact.
Authorities said Thursday that they expect additional arrests in the case.
Law enforcement escorts Isabelle Johnson following her arrest Thursday in Cottondale, Florida. Johnson is charged with murder in the death of Jason Coulthart. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
During the manhunt, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office described Johnson as “cunning” and a “master manipulator” while warning anyone who may have been helping her to stop.
Officials said additional details surrounding Johnson’s arrest could not immediately be released because the investigation remains active.
Isabelle Johnson was taken into custody near Cottondale, Florida, on Thursday following a roughly 45-day multistate manhunt, authorities said. (Walton County Sheriff’s Office)
