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Defenders

Watch: JoAnn Matouk Romain mystery series Parts 1-5

Watch the full Local 4 Defenders series here

Karen Drew, Anchor/Reporter

Tags: JoAnn Matouk Romain, JoAnn Matouk, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Unsolved Mystery, Disappearance, Murder, Unsolved, Michigan, Grosse Pointe, Defenders, JoAnn Matouk Romain mystery series, True Crime
JoAnn Matouk Romain
JoAnn Matouk Romain

Ten years after the disappearance and death of JoAnn Matouk Romain, there remain questions about what happened to her on Jan. 12, 2010.

The Local 4 Defenders have put together a special series chronicling her mysterious death.

Watch here:

Part 1: Secrets of a Small Town

A Gross Pointe Woods mother of three disappears, then 70 days later she is found in a different country dead. Police believe she walked into Lake St. Clair and killed herself, her family believes something more sinister happened. Why was a search for the mother started when she wasn’t even reported missing? More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/
A Gross Pointe Woods mother of three disappears, then 70 days later she is found in a different country dead. Police believe she walked into Lake St. Clair and killed herself, her family believes something more sinister happened. Why was a search for the mother started when she wasn’t even reported missing? More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/

Part 2: Missing When You Are Not Reported Missing

JoAnn Matouk Romain, a 55-year-old mother of three, walks out of church, leaves her car in the parking lot for two hours, and local police begin the search for her after spotting her car and footprints by a nearby Lake. Family says there is no way their mother could have physically climbed the barriers to get into the lake and then walk two football fields long in her high heels to her death. More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/
JoAnn Matouk Romain, a 55-year-old mother of three, walks out of church, leaves her car in the parking lot for two hours, and local police begin the search for her after spotting her car and footprints by a nearby Lake. Family says there is no way their mother could have physically climbed the barriers to get into the lake and then walk two football fields long in her high heels to her death. More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/

Part 3: 'If anything ever happens to me ... '

JoAnn Matouk Romain hangs up the phone and tells her daughters: "If anything ever happens to me, look to him."
JoAnn Matouk Romain hangs up the phone and tells her daughters: "If anything ever happens to me, look to him."

Part 4: Questionable Police Practices

Investigators question how police fingerprinted JoAnn Matouk Romain’s car: Why was a piece of evidence donated to charity; how did a set of missing keys suddenly reappear? And we take a look at a timeline that presents many questions. More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/
Investigators question how police fingerprinted JoAnn Matouk Romain’s car: Why was a piece of evidence donated to charity; how did a set of missing keys suddenly reappear? And we take a look at a timeline that presents many questions. More coverage: https://www.clickondetroit.com/topic/JoAnn_Matouk_Romain/

Part 5: Very Disturbing and Unresolved

Did JoAnn Matouk Roman meet with the FBI days before her disappearance? What was her mental state? Find out what a judge's opinion was on disputed facts.
Did JoAnn Matouk Roman meet with the FBI days before her disappearance? What was her mental state? Find out what a judge's opinion was on disputed facts.

Family photos:

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JoAnn Matouk Romain with her husband, David Romain, and their three children Michell, Michael and Kellie.

Crime scene photos:

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These are images of the area outside St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church where JoAnn Matouk Romain went missing Jan. 12, 2010.

Resources:

Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.

About the Author:

Karen Drew is the anchor of Local 4 News First at 4, weekdays at 4 p.m. She is also an award-winning investigative reporter and part of the Local 4 Defenders team.

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