Online dating warning after alleged ‘murder-suicide’ of mum-of-two

The sister of a woman murdered at the hands of a man she met online says she never liked him and knew something was wrong from the start.

A woman is advocating for mandatory background checks on dating sites following the suspected murder-suicide of her sister by a man she met online.

Michaela-Ann Lingard Hanson, 39, said that she is “only now beginning to grieve” after her sister, Jennifer Lingard, 40, was found dead while on holiday in 2022, leaving her two young children alone in the same house.

Ms Lingard Hanson believes Ms Lingard was killed by her boyfriend, Sami-Joe Daou, 33, who she’d initially met through a dating website.

The couple had travelled to the family’s holiday home in Lovell, Maine, USA, with Ms Lingard’s two young sons, Liam, now 12, and Kellen, now 7.

The mother of two was discovered by police, “beaten and strangled to death”, and locked in a room of the house, according to SWNS.

A woman is calling for mandatory background checks on dating sites after her sister, Jennifer Lingard (pictured) was killed in a suspected murder suicide by a man she met online. Picture: SWNS

Just a day later, Daou was found dead, 480km away from his home in Rhode Island, with Ms Lingard’s car parked outside and her phone in his possession.

Unbeknown to Ms Lingard and her family, Daou had a criminal history, which included assault and possession and distribution of child pornography.

Ms Lingard Hanson is now the legal guardian to her nephews and has her own three-year-old son, Travis.

She says she has suffered “physical and mental health issues” as a result of the trauma caused by her sister’s bloody murder.

Michaela-Ann Lingard Hanson says she is “only now starting to grieve” after her sister was found dead while on holiday in 2022 – with her two young children left alone in the same house. Picture: SWNS

The family is now urging dating sites to conduct background checks and encouraging the public to “do their own research” before getting into a relationship with someone they met online.

Ms Lingard Hanson, who has been unable to work since the tragedy, said, “I’m doing terribly – three years on and it doesn’t get any easier. If anything, it’s harder now.”

She says she feels like she has “no idea” how to keep going and she feels so alone, with little to no resources out there to help her with her anxiety and PTSD, which often leaves her struggling to speak or form sentences.

The mum says she “never liked” Daou after they met in June 2021 and he made a bad first impression on her.

Then a few months later, on February 24, she was woken in the middle of the night by police banging on her door.

It was then they broke the tragic news that her sister had been found dead in the family holiday home.

Ms Lingard’s official cause of death was said to be homicide by asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.

The cabin is also where her father, Reginold David Lingard, tragically took his own life in July 2010.

She believes her sister was killed by her boyfriend, Sami-Joe Daou, 33, who had a criminal record. Picture: SWNS

She is now the legal guardian to her little boys Liam, now 12, and Kellen, now seven. Picture: SWNS

Her mother, Sheree Lingard, says she lives in “constant fear” and is “forever changed” after her daughter’s violent murder.

“I have been cheated of my old self,” the 67-year-old shared.

“I am angry that her murderer got away easily by overdosing rather than face the consequences of his actions.”

Now, the family aim to raise awareness about the dangers of online dating.

“He was a violent felon and should never have been allowed to set up a profile on the dating sites,” she says.

“He should never have been walking the streets.”