Woman vanished after leaving restaurant, Missouri cops say. Body found in man’s bedroom
The body of a Missouri woman was discovered in a man’s home a week after she went missing, police say.
Officers in Maryland Heights said the body of Jacquelyn “Jacque” Mitchell, 39, was in Joseph Dejoie’s apartment for six days. Dejoie, 49, was charged Tuesday, March 21, with second-degree murder, police said in a news release.
Maryland Heights Police Chief Bill Carson said Mitchell, of St. Charles, was reported missing Thursday, March 16, two days after she was last seen leaving Maggie O’Brien’s Restaurant & Irish Pub in the St. Louis neighborhood Sunset Hills.
Family members suspected something was wrong, with her sister Stephanie Babcock telling KSDK that Mitchell “would never not come home.”
Mitchell’s car was found abandoned in the Maryland Heights apartment complex Sunday. Carson said in a news briefing streamed by KTVI that officers received a “significant break” when surveillance footage showed a man driving Mitchell’s car after she disappeared.
Maryland Heights officers identified the driver as Dejoie and executed a search warrant at his home Monday, according to the police chief. Inside, officers found Mitchell’s body.
It’s believed that Mitchell’s body was in Dejoie’s apartment for six days. Mitchell and Dejoie knew each other, and police said she went to his home after leaving the restaurant.
It’s unclear how Mitchell died. Her body was found in Dejoie’s bedroom, St. Charles police said.
Dejoie told police he killed Mitchell and cleaned her body and car in an attempt to hide evidence, KSDK reported.
Dejoie was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. He is being held in the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $1 million bond.
“Jacque Mitchell may you rest in piece,” a loved one said on Facebook. “I hope you know how much I love you and how much you are loved. I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you. I never stopped searching for you.”
This story was originally published March 22, 2023 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Woman vanished after leaving restaurant, Missouri cops say. Body found in man’s bedroom."