Episode Seven of Stolen: The Search For Jermain: A Grave Discovery

This true-crime podcast from Gimlet/Spotify premiered on March 1 and uncovers the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) human-rights crisis

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As we head into next week’s finale of Gimlet/Spotify’s “Stolen: The Search for Jermain,” host Connie Walker is on the cusp of proving that young Indigenous mother Jermain Charlo was a victim of a criminal act in today’s all new episode when she finds evidence that retraces Jermain’s cell phone at or near the home of her former abusive boyfriend.

 You can listen to Episode 7 HERE.

 In episode seven, Connie delves into public records on Jermain’s case that detail various search warrants the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office filed to further investigate the involvement of her former boyfriend and father to her two children, Michael. Connie and Jermain’s family are shocked when they find evidence that Jermain’s cell phone was last traced near or on the property of Michael’s home the night she disappeared, and the reason for the Sheriff’s Office to believe that he is using his property to tamper with evidence or as a possible grave site location.

Since the podcast premiered in early March, host Connie Walker has investigated Jermain’s disappearance speaking with her friends, family, law enforcement and bystanders, uncovering inconsistencies in her case, sharing what life was like for Jermain at home on the Flathead Reservation in Montana, and the larger issue of domestic violence against Indigenous women in the U.S.

According to U.S. crime statistics, Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience violence than any other demographic. One in three Native women is sexually assaulted during her life, and 67 percent of these assaults are perpetrated by non-Natives.

Currently, the federal laws surrounding violent crimes create difficulties in dealing with non-Native perpetrators on native lands.

Podcast host Connie Walker, who is Cree from Okanese First Nation in Canada, has made it her life’s work as a journalist to tell the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women. “Stolen: The Search for Jermain,” marks not only her first story with Gimlet Media but also the first U.S. case of a missing Indigenous woman that she’s investigated. 

  The podcast, “Stolen: The Search for Jermain,” is the first release since her acclaimed series “Missing and Murdered.”

Late last week, an announcement by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland about the creation of an investigative unit  to probe cases of missing and murdered Native Americans felt like a major win for the Gimlet / Spotify podcast
“Stolen: The Search for Jermain."

The federal government formed a task force on the issue in 2019 to pursue such cases. Haaland said the new unit will expand on that work and establish a unit chief position to develop policy for the unit. The unit will review unsolved cases and work with tribal, BIA and FBI investigators on active cases as well, according to the department.

“Violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades. Far too often, murders and missing persons cases in Indian country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated,” Haaland said in a statement. “The new unit will provide the resources and leadership to prioritize these cases and coordinate resources to hold people accountable, keep our communities safe, and provide closure for families.”