MISSOULA – MTN News recently confirmed with law enforcement that “persons of interest” have been identified in the search for Jermain Charlo.
Charlo was reported missing in June and last seen in the area of the Orange Street Food Farm in Missoula.
Members of The Lifeguard Group have been on the ground searching for any evidence and following up on any leads.
The group’s president, Lowell Hochhalter, says despite lack of evidence found, they are still looking for Charlo: “Some have even asked the question, ‘Well, would it be better if she wasn’t even alive and going through something like that’?” Hochhalter said. “Well, that’s not for us to determine. Our action is still the same, to aggressively search and look for Jermain.”
The Missoula non-profit that helps look for missing people has been involved in the search for Charlo for the last 4½ months. Hochhalter told MTN News that he remains hopeful.
“We’ve made a commitment to the family that we will not get frustrated, we will not get bored with this. We will continue to search until we either find her or find an answer — or the family just says ‘that’s enough,” Hochhalter said.
Lifeguard Group will only involve itself in a search at the invitation of the family.
Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker said Charlo is believed to be a victim of a criminal act, and they do not believe she ran away from home.
Baker said the Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County, Tribal Police, and the FBI have spent several hundred hours working on the case.
The agencies have conducted numerous 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.
