Woman charged in death of man found in wooden box in Gulfport home

Gulfport Police have charged a 66-year-old woman in the death of a man found in a wooden box at a residence on Friday.

Police say Jerry Lynn Isreal, who also uses the last name Roby, was charged with first degree murder in the death of John Allen Gaither, her son. She was taken to Harrison County jail. Bond has not been set.

Gaither was reported missing on December 22, 2023.  Police were called out to a residence in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue regarding a welfare concern regarding a possible missing person. Police sent out a report that Gaither was reported missing.

Police followed up on December 27 and noted discrepancies in Isreal’s statements. Through the course of the investigation, Isreal become uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times, police said. Detectives also learned Isreal was arrested and convicted of murder in Florida around 1995. Isreal committed the murder and made several attempts to dump the body at different locations in Florida.

Detectives then obtained a search warrant for the house in Mississippi.

On Thursday about 10 a.m., detectives and Crime Scene technicians searched the residence. At that time, Isreal was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.

During the search of the house, a wooden box containing Gaither was found behind a false wall.

Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Gulfport Police at 228-868-5959 or Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 877-787-5898.