Man held on $1M bond after woman found dead in Maryland Heights apartment

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. (KMOV) – The bond will remain at $1 million for the man charged after a missing woman was found dead in a Maryland Heights apartment.

In March, police announced that the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Joseph John Dejoie 5th, of the 2200 block of Palestra, with 2nd-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and abandonment of a corpse. Dejoie is being held at the St. Louis County Justice Center on a $1 million bond.

Dejoie’s defense later filed a motion to reduce the bond. During a pre-trial hearing less than a month later, the court ruled with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which opposed the defense’s motion to reduce the bond.

“Our office believes he is a threat to the community and as such we asked the judge to keep the high bond that was initially set,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. “This routine proceeding today is an example of how our office and this court routinely protect the public.”

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Maryland Heights police announced that Jacquelyn “Jacque” Elizabeth Mitchell was found dead in a Maryland Heights apartment Monday night. Police believe she had been dead for six days before her body was found.

Mitchell was last seen around 11 p.m. on March 14 at Maggie O’Briens Sunset Hills on South Lindbergh. She did not make it home that night, and she was reported missing to the St. Charles City Police Department on Thursday.

On Sunday, her car was found in Maryland Heights. At that time, the Maryland Heights Police Department started to assist with the investigation.

Detectives tried to trace Mitchell’s path from the restaurant that night. This included a neighborhood canvass, using a drone, several interviews, and looking at cell phone data and social media records. There was a significant break in the case when detectives obtained surveillance video of a man driving Mitchell’s car, according to police.

Maryland Heights police said they were able to identify the man in the surveillance video.

They then executed a search warrant at Dejoie’s apartment in Maryland Heights. Once police were inside the apartment, they located Mitchell’s body.

Dejoie has been arrested and charged. Authorities said Mitchell and Dejoie knew one another, and that she went to his apartment after leaving the restaurant.

Police interviewed Dejoie after finding Mitchell’s body. Police allege he admitted to wiping down her car and her body in an attempt to conceal evidence. They also allege he confessed to being responsible for Mitchell’s death.

Dejoie had prior arrests for felonious restraint, rape, burglary, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Mitchell’s cause of death has not been released.

This story will be updated as further details are made available.

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