Jerri Lynn Roby Faces Murder Charge After Police Find Son’s Body Behind Wall At Her Home

A woman in Mississippi is being charged with murder after police discover her son’s body behind a “false wall” in her home.

Gulfport, Mississippi, police investigated the 66-year-old Jerri Lynn Roby, also known as Jerri Lynn Israel, after her son John Allen Gaither was reported as a possible missing person. Police came to Roby’s home for a welfare check on December 22. Gaither was last heard from roughly two weeks prior on December 10. They conducted multiple follow-up visits with Roby and began to notice suspicious behavior.

According to the Gulfport Police Department, Roby “became increasingly uncooperative and changed her statements multiple times.”

Authorities learned of Roby’s prior murder charge from 1995 where she “made several attempts to dump the deceased subject throughout Florida.” Following the discovery of this information, Gulfport police obtained a search warrant for Roby’s home.

On January 18, police conducted a search. In the residence, they uncovered a wooden box behind a false wall that contained Gaither’s body. During this time, Roby took numerous pills and was sent to the hospital for medical treatment. Police also found other wooden boxes in Roby’s garage.

Jason DuCre, spokesman for the Gulfport Police Department, stated Roby tried to cover up her son’s disappearance by writing notes to family members posing as Gaither. After recovering in the hospital, police arrested Roby.

The police are now asking that anyone with additional information about the case come forward.