A terrifying new video reveals the last 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 sons, 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 track of her around midnight as she runs away with a man, identified as her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, Michael DeFrance.
He said she got into his Dodge pickup and he dropped her off at a friend’s house around 1 a.m. No one has heard from her since.
Police said they have released the new footage CBS 48 hours in the hope that this will lead to a breakthrough in the case.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Detective Inspector Guy Baker explained: ‘Our hope is that people will see how they were dressed that night and may have seen something involving the two of them after they left the alley. Perhaps he didn’t realize at the time that it was important to this research. Hopefully this will refresh their 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 she left the bar on the night of June 15, 2018 – the last time she was seen alive
Detective Baker has been working on the case for the past six years and continues to follow every lead as it comes in.
He believes she is the victim of a crime because her pattern of life – including her social media presence and communication with friends and family – stopped after that night. But no arrests have been made yet.
He said the ex-boyfriend admitted to being downtown with Jermain and was interviewed by police more than once.
‘It feels like I have a puzzle in front of me, but I don’t have all the pieces to put it together yet. That’s what I’m looking for: I need more of those pieces that the public can provide,” he told DailyMail.com.
He added: “This is a unique case, but I am equally committed to solving this case six years and four months later, finding justice for the family and holding accountable those responsible for what happened to Jermain like the first day I got this case.
“It has been frustrating, but we are appealing to the public who have not yet come forward: you may have valuable information and I would like to speak to you.”
Jermain’s aunt Valenda Morigeau-Underwood tearfully told DailyMail.com that she does not believe her niece is still alive.
She and another aunt, Dani Matt, were informed of Jermain’s disappearance by the young woman’s grandmother, who had raised her.
The women said Jermain never went anywhere without her phone and that it was unusual for her not to contact her family.
Jermain lived with her two young sons, Thomas and Joseph, on the Flathead Reservation, about 40 miles from Missoula.
Missoula police provided video footage to DailyMail.com. 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 documenting everything from food and makeup to what she did and where she went.
She had made a TikTok video the same day she disappeared, where she appeared to be 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 a hat.
“Since she wasn’t active on social media, I knew something was wrong,” she explained.
Jemain’s family looked everywhere for her, calling hospitals and shelters.
Then she did not return home a few days later to her two young sons, Thomas and Joseph, who lived on the Flathead Reservation, about 40 miles from Missoula, and filed a missing persons report with the Missoula Police Department. They also contacted the Flathead Reservation Police.
The reserve is 1.319 million hectares in size, mountainous and with numerous rivers, which complicated search efforts.
Investigators also looked into whether Jermain could have been a victim of human trafficking, but Missoula County Deputy Attorney Brittany Williams said that was later ruled out.
Jermain is pictured with her ex-boyfriend and father of the children, Michael DeFrance
The Badlander bar in downtown Missoula is one of the places where Charlo was last seen
Jermain’s aunts said her niece’s relationship with her ex, Michael DeFrance, was strained. At the time she went missing, she was seeing another man named Jacob, who was never considered a suspect.
DeFrance spoke to police without an attorney and said he was the last person to see Jermain that night and dropped her off at the Orange Street Food Farm because her friend Cassidy lived nearby.
But police discovered that Jermain was dating a man named Jacob, who lived nearby, and that she was texting him before disappearing.
Morigeau-Underwood told CBS 48 Hours that based on her text messages, Jacob was gone, but she planned to spend the night at Jacob’s home.
Speaking about her new boyfriend, who she met on a dating app, the aunt added: “They had a strong bond. He was in love with her.’
Williams said Jacob told police that the day before she disappeared, DeFrance “had yelled at her, asking if she was dating someone and wanted to get back together with her.”
DeFrance had previously assaulted Jermain in 2013. Court documents showed he admitted to hitting her three times, pleaded guilty but served no jail 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 soon after and had many interests in common. But at some point during their relationship he became very possessive.
‘She was beautiful, creative, outgoing and smart. She dreamed of going to art school in Santa Fe New Mexico,” she added tearfully.
Police said it is crucial that they find Jermain’s cell phone. Data showed it was last active on June 16 around 10 a.m. north of Missoula in an area of Evaro Hill on the Flathead Reservation – near where DeFrance lives.
DeFrance told police she left her cell phone with him and he threw it away near an Idaho highway. But it was never found.
Jermain’s aunts Valenda Morigeau-Underwood and Dani Matt don’t believe their niece is still alive
Jermain’s aunt told DailyMail.com: ‘She was beautiful, creative, outgoing and smart. She dreamed of going to art school in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Jermain’s aunts said her niece’s relationship with her ex and the father of her children, Michael DeFrance, was strained
A billboard shows a photo of missing Jermain Austin Charlo with a $15,000 reward
Jermain smiles in an exclusive photo with her aunt
Jermain’s aunt Valenda Morigeau-Underwood took part in a Spartan race to keep her niece’s story alive for the #Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women. The red handprint on her mouth symbolizes ‘solidarity’
Detectives also seized firearms from DeFrance’s property, in violation of his conviction for the attack on Jermain. In 2023, he was sentenced to 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 was first broadcast. She added: “I don’t think anyone has the liberty to name a suspect in this case. There are certainly interested parties.’
Anyone with any information regarding the disappearance of Jermain Charlo is urged to contact the Missoula Police Department at 406-552-6284. Calls will be anonymous.