HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. — This morning, police tirelessly searched for 34-year-old Courtney Johnson on I-10 in Hancock County, Mississippi. After hours of searching, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office confirms Johnson’s vehicle was pulled out of a watery area with an unidentified body inside.
Johnson has been missing since Tuesday night. Her friends and family say she was heading to the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi but never checked into her hotel. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
“For her not to reach out is just not her,” said Catherine Wall, Courtney’s friend.
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office says Johnson’s gray 2016 Mazda 6 last pinged off of I-10. Law enforcement foraged the area, and Courtney’s friend’s initiated a search of their own.
“We’re going to hit up businesses along the highway to see if we can find any cameras that can ping her license plate, see if it’s her driving it. We have four-wheelers, we’re going to go out into the woods to see if we can find anything. We’re just grasping at anything for hope,” said Stacey Hall, Courtney’s friend.
Meanwhile, Courtney’s family is heartbroken and desperate for answers.
“How do you expect me to feel? My heart is broken in half, I’ve cried every tear that I have in my body,” said Tracey Johnson, Courtney’s mom.
Tracey says her daughter is a single mom who would never leave her 13-year-old son behind.
“He has no idea what’s going on. How do you tell a 13-year-old that his mom is missing? You can’t, you can’t do it,” said Tracey.
Courtney’s disappearance is raising dozens of unanswered questions and shattering the hearts of all who love her.
“I haven’t been eating, I can’t sleep. I just want to find her and make sure she’s safe, that’s all. I just want her safe,” said Hall.