MISSOULA – The Missoula Police Department has identified persons of interest in the disappearance of Jermain Charlo.
The Native American female in her early 20’s went missing this past summer and was last seen in Missoula in the early hours near Orange Street Food Farm on June 16.
Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker says Charlo is believed to be a victim of a criminal act, and that they do not believe she ran away from home.
Baker says the Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County, Tribal Police and the FBI have spent several hundred hours working this case.
The agencies have conducted multiple searches including the use of cadaver dogs, looking through social media, emails and cell phone records, along with residential search warrants in Missoula County, Lake County and the Reservation.
The results have led to a few different leads, one of those being related to a possible abduction into sex trafficking.
Baker says the outcome of her being found alive is slowly dwindling.
“We don’t know that and we continue to hold out hope, but it’s been four and a half months and the pattern of life drastically changed on the night of June 15, 2018,” Baker said. “There has been no activity on social media, there has been no contact with anyone she knows. I mean I hold out hope that she’s ok and she’s still alive but each day that passes kind of points to the opposite direction.”
Baker said there is no connection with Charlo’s disappearance and the recent Missoula double homicide, or the murder of William “Bill” Conko Camel near Dixon on Oct. 5.
Evidence in this case has been submitted to the crime lab and Baker says the results will take a few months.
Baker also added that anyone with any information should come forward and can contact Baker at 406-396-3217.
