GROSSE POINTE FARMS, Mich. – JoAnn Matouk Romain was last seen alive in 2010. She was missing for 70 days before her body was found in the Detroit River.
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.
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: The disappearance of JoAnn Matouk (Full cold case investigation)
Family believes JoAnn Matouk Romain was murdered
JoAnn Matouk Romain’s family said she got into an argument with Tim Matouk, and for more than a decade they have suspected him of having something to do with her death. Tim Matouk is JoAnn Matouk Romain’s cousin.
Paul Hawk swore under oath that he saw Tim Matouk with JoAnn Matouk Romain near the water the night she went missing. Police did not deem him credible. Hawk was found dead inside his Grosse Pointe home in 2021.
Tim Matouk has said he’s been the victim of a witch hunt and it’s ruining his life and reputation. He broke his silence in the case in 2021. He has never been arrested or charged with the death of JoAnn Matouk Romain.
Tim Matouk has worked as an investigator for Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office. He’s worked on many notable cases and has been in law enforcement for more than three decades. When JoAnne Matouk Romain died, he was a Harper Woods police officer.
In 2021, Local 4′s Karen Drew sat down with Tim Matouk to get his version of the mysterious death of JoAnn Matouk Romain.
--> Tim Matouk breaks silence 11 years after JoAnn Matouk Romain found dead in Detroit River
Family calls for new investigation
In March 2025, JoAnn Matouk Romain’s family put in a formal request for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office to reopen the investigation into her death.
The family called on the Attorney General’s Office to take over the case to ensure a thorough and unbiased review of all evidence, witness testimonies and forensic findings.
“We’ve put in a formal request, per our attorney, Steve Haney, and he’s asked for the Attorney General’s Office to actually reopen this investigation and do a thorough examination of the entire case,” said Michelle Romain, JoAnn’s daughter. “Because, look, this case has never been investigated, right? The police never did their job. We took it on ourselves, with attorneys, investigators, private experts, and we’ve uncovered all these things, but nobody’s actually looked into it.”
They demanded an immediate independent examination due to concerns about the current investigation’s handling.
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.
“This is not just about my mom being murdered, this is about what is going on behind the scenes,” said Michelle Romain.
---> Man accused of ramming billboard truck promoting JoAnn Matouk Romain podcast to stand trial
New timeline of events
A document from the family’s attorney lists a timeline of everything that happened on the day she was last seen and alleges significant timeline issues and contradictions.
The timeline claims that police contacted the Coast Guard to report an adult in Lake St. Clair and that the family of JoAnn Matouk Romain had been “frantically looking for her since 5 p.m.” just after 9 p.m., despite the family being informed by police at about 9:30 p.m. that her vehicle was found abandoned.
Additionally, the timeline claims the license plate on the vehicle was ran just before 10 p.m.
The vehicle reportedly belonged to Romain’s daughter and a LEIN check would bring up the daughter’s registration.
“Why would an officer have been at Michelle Romain’s house at 9:24 p.m. looking for someone who has no association to the vehicle?” asked family attorney Steve Haney.
The officer who arrived at the daughter’s home has not been identified by any police department and FOIA requests for the filing of the Missing Persons Report have allegedly been denied.
The family is also questioning why the vehicle was deemed “abandoned” or “suspicious” just two hours after the church service ended and when they didn’t report her missing that day.
An excerpt from the document’s timeline can be read below:
- 9:15 p.m. -- Daughters Michelle Romain and Kellie Romain arrive at home and see their mom JoAnn Matouk Romain has yet to come home. They assume she went out for coffee after church with a friend or relative, which was often something she would do, Therefore her absence is not out of the ordinary;
- 9:24 p.m. -- A Grosse Pointe Woods police officer knocks at the door of the Romain’s home stating that their mother, JoAnn Matouk Romain’s vehicle was found abandoned in St. Paul’s parking lot;
- 9:29 p.m. -- Phone records support that the children, Michelle Romain, Kellie Romain and Michael Romain, began to frantically call JoAnn, but there is no answer. They continue trying to reach JoAnn several times throughout the night and these phone records are important, as they support the recollection of the Officer making contact with them at 9:24 p.m. Oddly, the vehicle “abandoned” at St. Paul’s was not registered to Joann Matouk Romain, so it seemed very strange the Officer was informing the family “Joann’s vehicle was abandoned,” when the vehicle was registered to Michelle Romain;
- 9:30 p.m. -- A U.S. Coast Guard report states “RESPONSE RESOURCE REQUESTED” (It is unclear if this is the initial call or not). The USCG report states the case was opened at 6:05 p.m. (which is translated in their Zulu time on the USCG report). Both time frames are automatically generated into the USCG system. Information provided to the USCG included, but was not limited to: “1 adult in the water, 0 children. JoAnn missing from 5 p.m., her daughter frantically looking for her since 5 p.m., footprints leading in the snow from vehicle in the church parking lot to the lake with none returning, and there is a BIG HOLE in the ice where it appears someone has entered.”
- 9:53 p.m. -- Officer Colombo of Grosse Pointe Farms testifies under oath in a deposition that he found the 2008 Lexus at 9:53 PM and ran a LEIN check at 9:55 p.m., which then sparked a suspicious circumstance of the vehicle, resulting in him commencing his “investigating” at that time. (All LEIN checks are locked in a system through the State of Michigan and cannot be tampered with).
---> The full timeline of events can be found in this article.
Michigan AG declines to reopen case
On March 27, 2025, the Michigan Attorney General announced it had declined to reopen the investigation into the death of JoAnn Matouk Romain.
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
