A disturbing new video has revealed the final moments of a missing Montana mother before she mysteriously disappeared without a trace more than six years ago.
Jermain Charlo, 23, who has two young children, was last seen near a bar called The Badlander in downtown Missoula on June 15, 2018, where she appeared to be socializing with a small group of people.
The camera loses sight of her around midnight when she walks away with a man, identified as her ex-boyfriend and father of her children, Michael DeFrance.
He said she got into his Dodge truck and dropped it off near a friend’s house around 1 a.m. No one has heard from her since.
Police said they released the new images to CBS 48 Hours hoping it will lead to a break in the case.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Detective Constable Guy Baker explained: “Our hope is that people will see the way they were dressed that night and maybe see something involving the two of them after they left the alley. Maybe in that “I hope this refreshes your memory.”
Jermain Charlo, 23, was last seen near a bar called The Badlander in downtown Missoula on June 15, 2018, where she appeared to be socializing with a small group of people.
Surveillance shows Jermain walking in front of DeFrance after leaving the bar on the night of June 15, 2018, the last time she was seen alive.
Detective Baker has worked the case for the past six years and continues to follow each lead as it comes in.
He believes she is a victim of crime as her pattern of life, including her social media presence and communication with friends and family, ceased after that night. But there have been no arrests yet.
He said the ex-boyfriend admitted he was with Jermain downtown and was interviewed more than once by the police department.
‘I feel like I have this puzzle in front of me, but I don’t have all the pieces to put it together. “That’s what I’m looking for: I need more pieces of that type that the public can offer,” he told DailyMail.com.
He added: “This is a unique case, but I am as committed to solving it six years and four months later, finding justice for the family and holding those responsible for what happened to Jermain accountable as I was the first day I received this case.” .
“It’s been frustrating, but we’re appealing to the public who haven’t come forward: you may have valuable information and I’d like to speak to you.”
Jermain’s aunt, Valenda Morigeau-Underwood, tearfully told DailyMail.com that she does not believe her niece is alive.
She and another aunt, Dani Matt, were alerted to Jermain’s disappearance by the young woman’s grandmother, who had raised her.
The women said Jermain never went anywhere without his phone and that it was unusual for him not to talk to his family.
Jermain lived with his two young sons, Thomas and Joseph, on the Flathead Reservation, approximately 40 miles from Missoula.
The Missoula Police Department provided DailyMail.com with video footage. Jermain is seen talking to someone in the alley of the bar while her ex stands behind her.
Morgieau-Underwood added that she was always on social media and had a video blog where she documented everything from food and makeup to what she was doing and where she was going.
He made a TikTok video the same day he disappeared in which he seemed in good spirits while lip-syncing to a song. She also appeared to be wearing the same clothing as in the surveillance video. jeans, hoodie and hat.
“For her not to be active on social media, I knew something wasn’t right,” he explained.
Jemain’s family searched everywhere for her, calling hospitals and shelters.
when she She did not return home a few days later with her two young sons, Thomas and Joseph, who lived on the Flathead Reservation, about 40 miles from Missoula, filed a missing person report. with the Missoula Police Department. They also contacted Flathead Reserve Police.
The reserve has 1.319 million acres, is mountainous and has numerous rivers, which made search efforts difficult.
Investigators also looked into whether Jermain could have been a victim of human trafficking, but Missoula County Assistant Prosecutor Brittany Williams said this was later ruled out.
Jermain appears in the photo with her ex-boyfriend and father of her children, Michael DeFrance.
The Badlander bar located in downtown Missoula is one of the places where Charlo was last seen.
Jermain’s aunts said their niece’s relationship with her ex, Michael DeFrance, was strained. At the time of her disappearance, she was dating a different man named Jacob, who was never considered a suspect.
Speaking to police without an attorney, DeFrance said she was the last person to see Jermain that night and dropped her off at Orange Street Food Farm because her friend Cassidy lived nearby.
But police discovered that Jermain was dating a man named Jacob who lived in the neighborhood and that she was texting him before she disappeared.
Morigeau-Underwood told CBS 48 Hours that, according to her text messages, Jacob was away but she planned to spend the night at Jacob’s house.
Speaking about her new boyfriend, whom she met on a dating app, the aunt added: “They had a strong connection. He was in love with her.
Williams said Jacob told police that the day before she disappeared, DeFrance ‘had been yelling at her, asking her if she was seeing someone and wanted to get back with her.’
DeFrance had previously assaulted Jermain in 2013. Court documents showed he admitted to hitting her three times, pleaded guilty but served no prison time.
Morigeau-Underwood told DailyMail.com: ‘Jermain met DeFrance when she was 14 and he was 16 and fell in love with the boy next door. They started dating shortly after and had many interests in common. But at some point in their relationship he became very possessive.
‘She was beautiful, creative, outgoing and intelligent. “I dreamed of going to art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico,” she added through tears.
Police said it is crucial to find Jermain’s cell phone. Data showed it was last active around 10 a.m. June 16 north of Missoula in an area of Evaro Hill on the Flathead Reservation, near where DeFrance lives.
DeFrance told police she had left him her cell phone and that he dropped it near a highway in Idaho. But it was never found.
Jermain’s aunts, Valenda Morigeau-Underwood and Dani Matt, do not believe their niece is alive.
Jermain’s aunt told DailyMail.com: ‘She was beautiful, creative, outgoing and intelligent. She dreamed of going to art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Jermain’s aunts said their niece’s relationship with her ex and father of her children, Michael DeFrance, was strained.
A billboard displays a photo of missing Jermain Austin Charlo offering a $15,000 reward
Jermain smiling in exclusive photo with his aunt
Jermain’s aunt, Valenda Morigeau-Underwood, participated in a Spartan race to keep her niece’s story alive for #missingandmurdered Indigenous women. A red handprint painted on his mouth symbolizes “solidarity.”
Detectives also confiscated firearms from DeFrance’s property, a violation of his sentence for the assault on Jermain. In 2023, he was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison, but remains free while he appeals his conviction. DailyMail.com has contacted DeFrance for comment.
Williams told DailyMail.com that some people had reached out since the surveillance footage first aired. He added: “I don’t think anyone is free to name a suspect in this case.” There are certainly people of interest.
Anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Jermain Charlo is asked to contact the Missoula Police Department at 406-552-6284. Calls will be anonymous.