Joanne Steel is a 30 year old from Queens, New York. When she was a teenager Joanne was a petty criminal, dealing drugs, robbery, violence and auto theft were something she’d become accustomed to. At the age of 20 she decided to get her life in order and undertook the basic training that would lead to her spending 7 years in the United States Army, serving 3 tours in Afghanistan as well as several postings across Europe and domestically.

At the age of 27 she returned to the United States with a new found purpose and underwent training at the Police Academy. Finishing in the top group overall she was assigned to work in Miami however things did not go to plan. Joanne was stuck in the midst of the corrupt down town department in Dade County, Miami, with a corrupt Sergeant overseeing ever aspect of her her career. She reported back her concerns and was made the offer of staying to try clearing the department up by getting the required evidence but over time it turned into her doing it by herself, too good at what she was doing her support dried up and she was left half dead in a hospital having been shot.

Gradually things improved but by then the damage had been done, her methods had began to erode the fine line between what was legal and what was illegal eventually being forced out herself after allegations of police brutality and vigilantism in dealing with the large criminal element in the area. Joanne became bitter and embattled with the accusation she was also on the take driving her into a further anger at those who she felt had managed to turn the clock back to the way it had been when she first arrived.

Joanne moved to Dead End, Michigan using her Journalism qualification she was taken on by the Dead End Daily News and started to work as a researcher looking into stories of Police corruption and brutality. She soon worked her way up to start reporting herself, she took to the role of a investigative journalist almost instantly.

Writing about a local organization, Belial Adherents put her in danger, she was kidnapped from the newspaper offices, taken to the sewer, assaulted and left for dead only finding her way out of the Dead End sewer system 3 days later. She as never able to identify the man responsible for this though she had her theories it was one of the less senior members trying to impress the Adherents hierarchy.

She already had a follow-up story about them written and once recuperated sent it to her editor along with her resignation, the article was never printed in fear of further repercussions but she wasn’t annoyed and headed back South this time to Hathian, on the Louisiana coast believing the change of scenery would be a good chance for her to show she still had the skills and ability to be a top reporter all she needed was the opportunity to show she was able to do the job she really loved doing.