BILOXI, Miss — The mother of a missing Northshore woman confirmed to WWL-TV that her daughter's body had been recovered from a small pond along I-10 in Mississippi, three days after she went missing while driving to Biloxi.
Tracey Johnson spoke exclusively to WWLTV after detectives learned a car that matched 34-year-old Courtney Johnson was recovered Friday afternoon.
"She just had a heart of gold, and she reminded of me a lot, she was a go-getter," Tracey Johnson said. "She wasn't just my daughter, she was my friend, and my best friend."
Tracey Johnson describes her daughter Courtney as loving, willing to help anyone who may have in need — including her parents.
"You know I'm going to miss her smile, I really am," her mother said.
Detectives pulled a car matching Courtney's out of the water just beyond the state line Friday afternoon.
Saturday, Tracey confirmed to WWL-TV Courtney's body was in the car.
"I wish she was here but I'm happy the way they did find her, she wasn't held hostage, she wasn't kidnapped, she wasn't tortured she wasn't raped, you maybe she didn't sit there, laying in pain. That's all I'm worried about is that she didn't suffer."
Courtney went missing Tuesday.
After she left her job in Baton Rouge, she was supposed to meet friends at a casino near Biloxi but did not show up.
Tracey's intuition told her to call her daughter to make sure she was ok.
"At 7:45 I decided to call and check on her, her phone was dead and went to voice mail," Tracey said.
Tracey figured something was wrong Wednesday morning when Courtney failed to check into her hotel and that is when she filed a missing person report.
Tracey hoped and waited anxiously to get the news she would be found and returned home.
"She's home. She is home in our hearts, and she will always be in our hearts."
Detectives were searching for Johnson along the I-10 Corridor in Mississippi when they saw an area where it looked like a vehicle had gone off the highway.
Mississippi officials began searching in a body of water off the road and found the car a little after two o'clock.
"It took them 5 hours to get the car out. And they end up cutting her out the car."
Tracey is now coping with the loss of her daughter.
One thing she will remember is attempting to prepare dinner.
"I don't smell nothing cooking, I don't see no pots and pans, you didn't cook again mom is what words would be and let me tell you I'll take that back anytime."