She Was Last Seen With Her Ex Walking Right Behind Her, And Then He Admitted To Ditching Her Phone On A Highway
Jermain Charlo, an Indigenous woman from Montana, disappeared in the early morning hours of June 16, 2018.
Her case has remained unsolved for over six years, and now, authorities in Missoula, Montana, have released never-before-seen security camera footage from the night she vanished. The goal is to generate new leads in the puzzling cold case.
Jermain was 23 years old at the time, and shortly before midnight on Friday, June 15, 2018, she was spotted walking in downtown Missoula. In the footage, a man could be seen walking a few steps behind her.
Later, different footage captured Jermain talking to people outside of The Badlander, a local bar. The same man is also standing behind her.
Then, right before 12:00 a.m., Jermain and the man left the area, and she was never seen again. It is believed that she disappeared sometime between 12:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. near Orange Street and S. 5th Street.
Detective Guy Baker, who’s spearheading the investigation, said, “Jermain walks out of view, so maybe somebody saw something that never thought about contacting us. So, if anybody has any information about that night or any aspect of this investigation, I encourage them to call me.”
Authorities were able to identify the man she was with that evening as Michael DeFrance. He was Jermain’s ex-boyfriend, as well as the father of their two children. The pair reportedly had an on-and-off relationship, which ended for real in 2017.
Investigators think Michael last saw Jermain before she vanished. During interviews with the police, Michael claimed to have dropped Jermain off at a downtown food market at approximately 1:00 a.m.
Afterward, Michael alleged he’d planned to meet up with a friend named Cassidy. Investigators weren’t able to find Cassidy.
However, they discovered the reason why Jermain had been frequently visiting Missoula. She’d apparently been dating a man who resided in the neighborhood.
She and the man, named Jacob, had only recently started seeing each other and were actually communicating mere hours before Jermain went missing. Jacob wasn’t there, though, as he was out of town that weekend.
Jacob later told the police that he’d attempted to call Jermain just before 1:00 a.m. The phone rang multiple times before going to voicemail, and Jacob believed someone had ended the call.
Authorities analyzed phone records and determined Jacob was right. Someone had silenced the call that evening.
According to Jacob, Jermain had also shared how things were tense with Michael the day before she disappeared.
She allegedly told Jacob that Michael had been screaming at her. Additionally, Michael supposedly asked if she was dating anyone else and claimed he wanted to get back together.
Upon launching an investigation, it was learned that Jermain’s phone pinged from 2:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the morning she vanished. It was pinging in Evaro Hill on the Flathead Reservation, which is about 14 miles away from downtown Missoula.
Jermain was a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. She resided on the reservation and had a goal of attending the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Her disappearance has left a lasting impact on community members, particularly in the wake of so many missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) cases that have gone unsolved. In Jermain’s home state of Montana, Indigenous people comprise 24% of active missing persons cases.
“I feel like we’re all of the human race and should be looked for the same. It’s not like we’re asking for special treatment; we’re just asking for the same treatment. We’re not going to stop looking for our people. We’re not. Our lives matter,” explained Jen Murphy, an educator in Montana who raises awareness about MMIW.
The police and the greater community have conducted various searches at the Flathead Reservation and in Missoula since Jermain went missing.
In speaking with Michael, authorities also figured out what had happened to her cell phone. He reportedly told investigators that he had her cell phone and tried to get into the device after she vanished.
It’s unclear if he was able to. Regardless, Michael, who was a truck driver, alleged that he got rid of Jermain’s cell phone on Highway 12 in Idaho, near mile marker 94. When authorities attempted to search for the device, they came up empty.
“Why would you get rid of the cell phone if someone was around to give the phone back to ’em?” Detective Baker asked.
Nonetheless, Michael hasn’t been named a suspect, and the investigation is still open and active. Jermain’s family fears the worst, believing she’s no longer alive, and the police are investigating her case as a “no body homicide.”
Detective Baker hopes the latest release of the security camera footage will spark new leads or clues that can provide answers to Jermain’s loved ones and community.
Anyone with information regarding her case is urged to contact Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker at (406) 552-6284.
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