Diana Duve's case: 5 things to know about her murder and ex Mike Jones' involvement in it

On June 19, 2014, Moldova native and Vero Beach nurse, Diana Duve went to meet her ex-boyfriend Mike Jones after a brutal break-up and informed her mother that she won't be returning home, before mysteriously disappearing. Jones had initially told Duve's parents that she was safe with him, but her disappearance triggered a massive search for both her and Jones.

Diana Duve's case is set to feature on CBS' 48 Hours this Saturday, May 6, at 10 pm ET. The synopsis for the all-new episode, titled Where is Diana Duve?, states:

"When a woman disappears with her boyfriend, investigators learn he was entrusted with millions at his bank job, but he also told outlandish lies about who he was."

Investigators soon made harrowing discoveries about Jones' past and were able to track him to a Hampton Inn using cellphone tower pings, surveillance, and other leads. Duve's body was eventually found stuffed in the trunk of her car which was parked in a Publix parking lot.

The ex-boyfriend was later convicted of first-degree premeditated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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Diana Duve's murder: A mysterious disappearance, ex Mike Jones' involvement in it, and other details

1) Duve's on-again off-again boyfriend was abusive and even attempted to strangle her once

Diana Duve and Mike Jones met in the summer of 2013 at a local Vero Beach bar and moved in together five months later. Reports state that the following April, the couple got into a heated argument which soon turned physical. As per statements given by Duve's friends, Jones allegedly yelled at her and attempted to strangle her with his hands.

Their former neighbor Eric Corrigan claimed that he called 911 to report a potential domestic disturbance.

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2) Diana Duve failed to return home after a rendezvous with her ex-boyfriend

Following the violent altercation between Duve and Mike Jones, they broke up, and she moved out of the house. However, Jones, who was 32 at the time, continued to pursue the nurse, 26, even after their split and sent her texts.

Soon, on June 19, 2014, the former couple made plans to meet at What-A-Tavern, a local bar. At 1:15 in the morning, Duve was seen leaving the place with Jones.

She even told her mother Lena Andrews that she wouldn't be returning home that night around a half-hour later. She never returned home the next day, and an official missing report was filed.

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3) Mikes Jones was a convicted felon on probation at the time

When an investigation was launched into Diana Duve's disappearance, authorities learned that the ex Mike Jones with whom she was last seen alive was, in fact, a convicted felon.

He had been charged with aggravated stalking for threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend in 2012 in Fort Lauderdale, where he lived before moving to Vero Beach back then. Jones pleaded no contest to the charges and was out on probation.

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4) Cellphone tower pings, surveillance used to track the missing ex-couple

Since Diana Duve was last seen leaving the bar with Mike Jones, who was likely responsible for her disappearance, detectives believed that finding the latter would lead them to the 26-year-old nurse.

They lacked leads and used cellphone tower pings to track Jones to a Hampton Hotel, at least 25 minutes south of Vero Beach. Local authorities were able to locate his car in the establishment's parking lot.

Surveillance footage from the hotel showed that Jones checked in about 24 hours after Duve went missing. There, he was arrested on parole violation but he persistently refused to tell authorities about the missing woman's whereabouts.

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5) Diana Duve's body was found stuffed in the trunk of her abandoned car

After arresting Mike Jones, detectives once again relied on cellphone tower pings, along with examining hours of surveillance footage. Following this, local authorities, who were on the lookout for Duve's car, found the vehicle in a Publix parking lot sometime around 4:30 am. Her body was stuffed inside the trunk of the car.

It was confirmed that Duve died of strangulation. Jones was charged with first-degree premeditated murder two days later.

Detectives were also able to conclude that he murdered her in his apartment and put the body in the car while it was still in the garage after finding small droplets of blood by the garage door threshold. The blood belonged to the victim. Jones was found guilty of the charge in 2019.