GULFPORT, Miss. (WJTV) – A woman has been charged with first degree murder after Gulfport police said a body was found inside a wooden box.

Police said they arrested 66-year-old Jerri Lynn Isreal on Saturday, January 20.

According to officers, the investigation started on December 22, 2023, when police responded to a home in the 2200 block of 16th Avenue in reference to a welfare concern regarding a possible missing person.

On December 27, detectives conducted several follow-ups and noticed discrepancies in statements provided by Isreal. Throughout the investigation, detectives said Isreal became increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times.

Police discovered that Isreal had been convicted of murder in Florida in 1995. In that case, authorities said Isreal made several attempts to dump the deceased person at different locations throughout Florida.

With the new information, detectives obtained a search warrant for the Gulfport home.

On January 18, 2024, detectives and crime scene technicians searched the home. At this time, they said Isreal was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. During the search of the home, a wooden box containing a deceased person, later identified as John Allen Gaither, was located behind a false wall.

Isreal was taken to the Harrison County Adult Detention Center.

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