Police are searching for a “dangerous” woman who allegedly uses multiple aliases and is wanted in the killing of a father whose body was discovered zip-tied in a shallow grave about a month after he disappeared.
Isabelle Rose Johnson, 38, has been “actively evading law enforcement” as authorities seek her in connection with the death of 43-year-old Jason Coulthart, whose remains were found June 25 on a property in Freeport, on Florida’s Panhandle, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
Coulthart had been reported missing on May 24. An arrest report obtained by People magazine said he was later found buried in a shallow grave with a zip tie around his neck, beneath a layer of concrete and with a black Cadillac parked over the site.
Johnson is wanted on an “open count of murder” and is believed to be traveling under several names, including Harley, Jessica Elaine Bowman, Jessica Elaine Thrush, Jessica Elaine Thrash, Jessica Dowdy and possibly Denise, according to investigators.
“Justice is coming,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook after officials raised the reward in the case last week from $6,000 to $11,000.
“Isabelle. Harley. Jessica. Whatever you’re calling yourself now. Turn yourself in. Enough is enough.”
Authorities described Johnson as a known swindler who should be considered “dangerous,” saying she has connections to Florida’s Okaloosa and Walton counties, along with parts of Georgia and lower Alabama.
“Johnson is known to move around a lot and often gets people to help her by playing on their sympathy,” the sheriff’s office said. “She may tell stories about going through tough situations, like domestic violence or other personal hardships, to convince people to give her rides, money, or other help.”
Coulthart is the father of a 20-year-old son and grew up in New Jersey. His connection to Johnson was not immediately clear, nor was a motive for his murder.
Five others have already been arrested for accessory to the killing, police said, without elaborating on their connection.
Johnson is 5-foot-3 tall and weighs about 120 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes — however investigators believe she may have recently cut her hair short and dyed it to disguise her identity.
She is believed to have a floral tattoo on her left hand near her thumb and forefinger, as well as a tattoo on her right ankle.
