Carol De Arment Missing Person Case

Apr 20, 2011

Jul 11, 2019

Carol

De Arment

78

36

65 inches

120 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the autumn of 1983, a cloud of concern settled over Troy, Michigan, with the disappearance of 36-year-old Carol De Arment. On the evening of October 26th, the mother of three was last seen leaving her boyfriend's apartment between 11:00 and 11:45 p.m. to return to the home she still shared with her estranged husband, Donald De Arment. Carol, who was described as a dedicated mother, uncharacteristically failed to leave a note for her children, a practice she always followed if she were going to be away. This small but significant detail was one of the first indicators to her loved ones that something was gravely wrong. Friends and family were adamant that she would never have voluntarily left her children. Her car was found parked in the driveway of her home, but disturbingly, the keys were still in the ignition, and her purse and eyeglasses were left behind on the front seat. All of her personal belongings, including her clothes and money, remained untouched in the house. The circumstances surrounding Carol's life at the time of her disappearance painted a troubling picture. She was in the midst of a contentious divorce from her husband, Donald, who was 21 years her senior. Their relationship was described by friends as volatile and filled with bitter arguments. Friends of Carol reported that Donald was a controlling spouse who isolated her from her own friends and activities. In court documents related to the divorce, Carol made serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse against her husband, stating that she feared for her safety. Despite these claims, and six police reports on file involving the couple, none of them officially documented her as a victim of assault. The divorce was set to go before a judge in November, just weeks after she vanished. Adding to the complexity of their separation, an audit had been arranged by Carol's attorney to determine her husband's true net worth, which some estimated to be in the millions, a few days before she went missing. The investigation into Carol's disappearance quickly focused on her estranged husband, Donald De Arment. Although they lived in the same house, he claimed to have not seen her since October 19th, a week prior to her going missing. A court order had been issued to prevent him from entering the study of the house, which Carol had been using as her bedroom. A significant and grim discovery was made when police found blood matching Carol's blood type on a sofa in the home and in the trunk of Donald's 1978 Mercedes. Despite the mounting suspicion, Donald was never charged in connection with his wife's disappearance. In 1986, as he was dying from cancer, the lead detective on the case visited him in a final attempt to get answers, but Donald refused to speak with him. With his death, the investigation stalled, leaving a painful void for Carol's loved ones. Carol De Arment was legally declared dead in 1993, but her case remains an unsolved and poignant mystery, a story of a mother who vanished amidst a turbulent period of her life, leaving behind a family and a community to grapple with unanswered questions.

Oct 26, 1983

Troy

Michigan

Oakland County

10046

Troy Police Department

Troy

Michigan

Oakland County

48084

500 West Big Beaver Road, Michigan

2485243477

Local

Law Enforcement

83-25288

Troy Police Department

Brown

Blue

Blue

No

07/18/2026