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On the night of June 15, 2018, 23-year-old Jermain Charlo — a young Indigenous mother and a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes — was seen in downtown Missoula, Montana near the Badlander bar.

Surveillance footage captured her in the alley just before midnight. She walked out of frame with her ex-boyfriend, Michael DeFrance.

Jermain was never seen again.

In this episode, we examine what's known about Jermain's life and community, the weeks and months leading up to the night she disappeared, and the history of domestic violence in her relationship. We reconstruct what’s known about the final hours of June 15–16, the conflicting accounts that followed, and the investigation that has continued for years without an arrest.

If you have information that could help bring Jermain home, please contact Missoula Police Department Detective Guy Baker: (406) 552-6284.

No tip is too small and might just be what detectives need to bring justice for Jermain.

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!

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On March 15, 2019, 30-year-old Najah Ferrell left her home in Avon, Indiana in the dark of the early morning—heading to her third day of orientation at a new job that was supposed to help her build a better future for her kids. She had five children depending on her: two biological sons and three foster children she had welcomed into her home.

But Najah never made it to work.

And by the end of the day, the people who knew her best were certain of one thing: this wasn’t a choice. Najah was reliable. Present. Protective. She didn’t “just disappear”—not without calling, not without making arrangements, and not without picking up her children.

In this episode of Vanished Voices, we walk through the narrow, terrifying timeline that makes this case so chilling—because somewhere in a span of roughly two hours, Najah vanished. Investigators later found her black Nissan Altima abandoned near a movie theater lot on Indianapolis’ northwest side.

Surveillance video would reveal someone else driving it. Her personal belongings would turn up scattered along the interstate. And weeks later, the case would take a devastating turn when a severed foot was discovered in a retention pond more than 100 miles away—identified by a tattoo, then confirmed through DNA.

Years later, Najah’s family is still fighting for answers. Police still believe someone knows what happened. And the question remains: Who took Najah Ferrell—and why?

If you have any information about Najah’s disappearance or murder, please contact the Hendricks County Communications Center at 317-839-8700 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477). You can remain anonymous. If you’re not comfortable calling, Crime Stoppers also has a mobile app (“P3 Tips”) that allows you to submit information anonymously.

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!

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In July 2019, 30-year-old mother of four Cecilia Huerta Gallegos vanished without a trace from her San Antonio home. Security cameras inside the house captured her entering the bedroom she shared with her husband, Reyes Gallegos — but never coming back out.

Hours later, those same cameras were shut off. When they came back on, Cecilia was gone, and Reyes was unloading a chainsaw, shovels, and trash bags from the family SUV.

Despite mounting evidence and a murder charge filed more than two years later, Reyes Gallegos has been released on bond — multiple times — while his trial has been delayed again and again. Cecilia’s body has never been found. Her children have grown up without answers.

And while other similar cases in the same community made headlines and reached courtrooms within a year, Cecilia’s story remains largely unknown — possibly because she was an immigrant, a working mother, and a woman of color.

Cecilia deserved better.

She deserved better protection. Better coverage. Better urgency. And now, at the very least, she deserves justice — and for someone, somewhere, to help bring her body home.

If you know anything about the murder of Cecilia Huerta Gallegos — no matter how small — please speak up.

Even the smallest detail could help bring closure to her children and family.

• San Antonio Police Department – Missing Persons Unit
  • (210) 207-7660
• Crime Stoppers (anonymous tips welcome)
  • Call: (210) 224-STOP (7867)
  • Online: https://sanantonio.crimestoppersweb.com
• Email Search & Support San Antonio (SASSA)
  • Search.support.sa@gmail.com
• Follow Cecilia's Facebook page for updates:
  • facebook.com/WhereIsCeciliaHuertaGallegos

To see more about this case, as well as the sources used to create this episode, visit our Blog Here.

Thank you so much for listening to Vanished Voices. We truly appreciate you!