Body Found in Submerged Vehicle Off I-10 Confirmed to be That of Missing Louisiana Woman
UPDATE: According to Coroner Derek Turnage, the body that was recovered from a Hancock County River yesterday was confirmed to be that of Courtney Johnson, the mother that was traveling from Baton Rouge to meet friends in Biloxi.
According to a report from WAFB, Johnson and her vehicle were found submerged in waters just off I-10 near the Mississippi border.
According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Johnson traveled off the roadway to the left and entered the water. The car was then carried by the water current under the interstate through a large box culvert and came to a final rest underwater on the right side of the roadway.
An autopsy will be done Monday to determine the cause of death.
UPDATE (6/25): Multiple outlets report that the vehicle belonging to Courtney Johnson was found submerged in waters along I-10 with the body of an unidentified woman inside.
Search efforts for Courtney Johnson have been focused on an area off I-10 in Mississippi.
UPDATE: A vehicle has been pulled from the waters near the investigation site.
According to multiple news outlets in the area, deputies with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office along with assistance from the Hancock County Sheriff's office are focusing on an area off I-10 about eight miles past the Mississippi border near the Waveland exit.
WBRZ spoke with Johnson's mother who shared that her daughter suffers from Multiple Sclerosis which can cause her to become fatigued.
There are so many things that run through your mind and you just want to cry but then you just want her to run into your arms. You want her to run into your arms. I do not wish this upon anybody to go through what we are going through. This is my one and only child. My one and only child.
Courtney Nicole Johnson left work at Richards Honda in Baton Rouge on Tuesday (6/22/21) around 5:00 p.m. headed to meet friends at the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi, MS.
Johnson never made it to Biloxi and friends began to worry when they couldn't reach her on her mobile phone which was reportedly off along with her location services. Their calls were going directly to voicemail and her last known call was to a friend at 6:22 p.m on 6/22.
There was a Snapchat story posted to Johnson's account on Tuesday night at 6:09 p.m. which showed her traveling along the interstate. This checks out with information that she gave a friend when she reportedly said she was traveling through Madisonville on I-12.
Updates also claim that the license plate of Johnson's grey/silver Mazda car (Louisiana Plate #ZQF474) was last scanned by cameras on the interstate in Hammond.
If anyone has any tips or information, they can contact Investigator P. McCarra at St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office or any family members or loved ones tagged in the Facebook posts included in this story.
We will update this developing story as more information becomes avaialble.