A Florida woman wanted for the murder of a dad found zip-tied and buried in a shallow grave has been arrested after seven weeks on the run, police announced.
Isabelle Rose Johnson, who has evaded capture since June 25, was taken into custody Thursday in Cottondale, Florida — about 60 miles northeast from the Freeport property where police found the remains of Jason Coulthart.
She was busted while wearing a black T-shirt with “force to be reckoned with” written across the front, according to photos of her in handcuffs while surrounded by heavily armed officers.
Johnson, 38, used several aliases and had a network of accomplices as she evaded police over several weeks while she was wanted for open murder, police said.
She was described as a “dangerous” swindler, who was known for concocting fake sob stories to gain favors or money from strangers.
Coulthart, a 43-year-old father of a 20-year-old adult son, was initially reported missing on May 24.
His body was found a month later with a zip tie around his neck buried in a shallow grave, which was covered in concrete with a black Cadillac parked over it, according to police.
Johnson’s reported roommate allegedly helped her dig a hole to bury Coulthart’s body, according to a police report.
“She killed the victim by placing a zip tie around his neck,” one unidentified witness cited in the report told investigators. The same witness went on to say, “She covered the body with cement so that the dog would not dig it up again.”
While a motive was not clear, the witness told investigators “he was aware of her ‘getting rid’ of a boy because he was ‘aggravating and irritating her.’”
The “boy” was also “threatening to interfere with Isabella’s custody of her children,” the witness said.
Five people have already been arrested for accessory to murder after the fact for allegedly assisting Johnson.
Johnson is expected to be extradited from Jackson County to Walton County on Friday.
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