Police Fear Missing Woman May Be Human Trafficking Victim
On June 15, 23-year-old Jermain Austin Charlo disappeared from the Missoula area and has not been seen since.
Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker said on Tuesday that law enforcement agencies are now taking the extra step of reaching out to the public for help in finding the missing young woman.
“On Friday night, June 15th, she was at several bars, the Badlander, the Golden Rose and the Dark Horse,” Baker began. “She was last seen between midnight and 1:00 a.m. on June 16th between Russell and Orange Street and she hasn’t been seen or heard from since then.”
Baker said officials fear the woman may have been a victim of human trafficking.
“She has not been active on social media like she had been on a frequent and daily basis prior to June 16th,” he said. “Her pattern of life has been very disrupted and no one has heard from her. We have several different investigative possibilities that we’re following up and one of those includes that she may have been the victim of a trafficking situation.”
Baker fears that every day that Jermaine Charlo is not heard from makes the search more desperate.
“Every day she’s not heard from is concerning to us because she may be in a situation where her freedom has been compromised, where she doesn’t have access to the internet or a cell phone. This is very abnormal for her, and that’s why we believe she has disappeared under suspicious circumstances.”
Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Jermain Austin Charlo is asked to contact Detective Guy Baker with the Missoula Police Department at (406) 396-3217.