A Florida murder suspect is being hunted across multiple states after a 43-year-old man was found buried in a shallow grave, with authorities warning that she may be changing her appearance, using aliases and persuading people to help her hide.
The warrant names Isabelle Johnson, 38, in the death of Jason Christopher Coulthart, whose remains were recovered June 25 on a Freeport property in Florida’s Panhandle.
The trail to Freeport began after Coulthart vanished from the College Condominiums on May 24 and investigators received information pointing them to the property.
The Walton County Sheriff’s Office has since announced a murder charge against Johnson, and investigators have accused her of involvement in Coulthart’s killing.
Authorities have not publicly explained Johnson’s relationship to Coulthart.
The hunt is no longer confined to Walton County, with officials pointing to Johnson’s connections in Okaloosa County, Walton County, Georgia and lower Alabama, plus a possible current location in North Georgia.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office warned that Johnson may be moving between places and convincing people to help her with rides, money or other support.
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“She is believed to travel between multiple locations and has been known to manipulate individuals into providing her transportation, money, or other assistance using sympathy narratives, such as domestic violence and other hardships,” the agency stated.
Authorities released surveillance video showing Johnson inside a business days after Coulthart’s remains were found, but investigators warned she may no longer look the same.
The wanted notice lists Johnson at roughly 5-foot-3 and 120 pounds, with longer brown hair that investigators warn may now be shorter or dyed.
Investigators say she has used multiple names, including “Harley,” “Jessica Elaine Bowman,” “Jessica Elaine Thrush,” “Jessica Elaine Thrash,” “Jessica Dowdy” and possibly “Denise.”
She is also believed to have a floral tattoo on her left hand near her thumb and another tattoo on her right ankle.
Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson warned that the case would not stop with Johnson if others keep helping her avoid arrest.
“Anyone found to have helped or who is still assisting Isabelle Johnson avoid arrest will be charged accordingly,” Adkinson stated.
“If you give her a place to stay, help her hide, or lie for her, you will face consequences. This is a homicide case. We will not allow anyone to get in the way of this investigation.”
Five people have already been arrested in connection with the killing, accused of helping Johnson or interfering with the investigation.
Among those arrested were Santa Rosa Beach residents Michael Ray White, 74, and Kathleen Morris, 59, who face accessory-after-the-fact and obstruction charges tied to a capital felony.
Investigators believe White knowingly helped Johnson avoid law enforcement between June 25 and June 30.
Morris admitted helping Johnson with transportation and supplies, and also misled law enforcement about Johnson being at her home, Fox 10 News reported.
Bobbi Wagstaff, 31, of Sunset Lane, faces an accessory-after-the-fact charge in the capital murder case, along with a methamphetamine possession count.
Authorities also say witnesses confirmed Martin and Sandra Leaverton helped shelter Johnson.
The Leavertons allegedly tried to move Johnson’s belongings and help arrange shelter outside Florida. Both remained in the Walton County Jail on accessory-after-the-fact charges in the capital murder case.
Investigators consider Johnson dangerous and warned the public not to approach her. Anyone who sees her has been told to call 911 immediately.
Elsewhere in Florida, prosecutors are weighing possible charges in the fatal shooting of a U.S. Army veteran after a Walmart parking dispute in North Lauderdale.
The North Lauderdale case centered on Bart Diguglielmo, a 62-year-old Army veteran who died after a parking-space argument outside Walmart ended with a gunshot to his chest.
The woman who allegedly shot him has not been publicly identified by police.
She did not leave before officers arrived and later claimed self-defense, according to investigators.
A witness said the dispute began over a parking spot. Diguglielmo had parked his white SUV in a way that blocked the woman from parking, then pulled out of the space not long afterward.
The woman appeared to get out of her car with a gun in one hand and her phone in the other. She briefly spoke to people inside the SUV before Diguglielmo approached her.
The cellphone video captured the standoff before the shot. Diguglielmo and the woman argued, the gun stayed trained on him, and she appeared to keep a phone in her other hand.
Diguglielmo moved away briefly, then turned back toward her before the shooting.
Newly released 911 calls captured the panic in the Walmart shopping center.
“Someone just got shot at Walmart,” one caller said.
A second caller described a woman yelling near the victim after the gunfire.
“I know that there’s a Black woman that is yelling at him, but I don’t know if she’s talking on 911 or not, but she’s not near the body; she’s yelling at the gentleman, I think maybe to tell him to stay down,” the caller said.
Another caller warned that the woman still had the gun out.
“The lady pulled out a weapon; it looks like she shot somebody and is in the Walmart shopping center, and she’s still got the gun out,” the caller said.
For several minutes after the gunfire, Diguglielmo remained on the ground while the woman stayed nearby until an officer arrived and appeared to take her into custody.
Doctors at Broward Health Medical Center later pronounced him dead.
“The preliminary investigation revealed an adult female and the victim were involved in a verbal altercation over a parking space in the Walmart parking lot prior to the shooting,” the Broward County Sheriff’s Office stated.
The sheriff’s office framed the case around her self-defense claim, noting that she stayed at the scene and cooperated with detectives.
According to the New York Post, prosecutors are considering whether to charge the alleged shooter.
“The case has been formally presented to our office by the Broward Sheriff’s Office,” a spokesman for the Broward State Attorney’s Office told the outlet.
“Prosecutors will thoroughly review all of the evidence to determine if any charges will be filed.”
Diguglielmo’s sister described him as a decorated war veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm, according to CBS News Miami.
