LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has declined to reopen the investigation into the death of JoAnn Matouk Romain.
The family urged the Attorney General to reopen the case on Monday, March 24, and called for a new, independent investigation.
A statement from the Attorney General’s Office Thursday, March 27, confirmed they will not reopen or review the case.
“The Attorney General holds herself out to be the State’s top lawyer and top law enforcement official. They have the absolute unfettered right and jurisdiction, and arguably obligation, to investigate crime,” said the family’s attorney, Steven Haney. “If they choose to ignore blatant evidence of murder, that is their cross to bear.”
Background:
JoAnn Matouk Romain was last seen on Jan. 12, 2010, at a prayer service at the Lake Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Farms. Her car, with her purse, and wallet were found in the church parking lot.
15 years ago: JoAnn Matouk Romain disappears, body later found in Detroit River
Investigators said they followed footprints in the snow from the lot to Lake St. Clair. They searched the waters but did not find her. Then, in March of that year, her body was found by fishermen in a channel of the Detroit River.
Police said they believed she killed herself by walking into Lake St. Clair. Her family believes she was murdered.
Watch: A Conversation With: Daughters of JoAnn Matouk
Call for new investigation
A Formal Request for Investigation was submitted to the Attorney General’s Office, citing concerns about the original investigation and potentially new DNA evidence.
According to a statement from the family’s attorney, a forensic investigation is underway on a vehicle they believe could be linked to Romain’s abduction and murder, involving fingerprinting, GPS data analysis and DNA testing on her personal effects.
The family alleges that JoAnn Matouk Romain was found without water in her lungs, in a location inconsistent with water currents and with bruising that suggests she was grabbed. Police reportedly informed Matauk’s family she was missing before running the license plate of a vehicle that wasn’t even registered to her.
They wanted the Attorney General to be involved to ensure a thorough and unbiased review of all the evidence, testimonies and forensic findings.
Attorney General’s response
In a statement released to Local 4, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed they would not review or reopen the investigation into Romain, and that the department doesn’t accept case referrals from private attorneys.
“The Michigan Department of Attorney General does not and cannot serve as an appellate review agency at the disposal of private practice attorneys, nor the surviving relatives of decedents or crime victims, to review the charging decisions of the State’s 83 independently elected county prosecutors. This department simply could not manage or keep up with the volume of requests it would engender should it accept cases on this basis of referral.”
Press Secretary Danny Wimmer
The Attorney General’s Office does review cases, but only when referred by law enforcement agencies or elected prosecutors. If the family wants to keep pushing for the investigation to be reviewed, they would have to make a formal request for the appointment of a special prosecutor.
The family said they’re frustrated and hurt that the case remains unsolved after 15 years.
“The system is obviously flawed. A federal judge overseeing this case stated the disputed facts in this case are VERY DISTUBING, and remain unresolved. The Federal court also stated the lawsuit we brought forward regarding a murder cover-up by two police departments was ‘meritorious’, meaning there is merit to us believing this was covered up by the police.
This is a case of a murder cover-up and the holding authority -Grosse Pointe Woods and Grosse Pointe Farms Police Departments are involved in covering it up. How could we ever expect these corrupt police departments to formally ask the Attorney General’s Office to investigate themselves which is what we are asking? We are not just looking for my mom’s murder to be investigated, we are asking for the police departments and the intentional coverup of this investigation to be investigated. This entire situation is more than disturbing.
We will not stop until we get Justice!"
Family of JoAnn Matouk Romain
