By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CENTREVILLE — Newly-public details in the disappearance of Brittany Nichole Wallace Shank were released Monday by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department.
Included in the new materials were a 911 call containing what police say is the last-known recorded contact with Shank, as well as a police sketch of the person police say is last known to have been with Shank on the evening of her disappearance. The person’s name was not released by police.
Shank was last seen in the 33000 block of Fawn River Road in Sturgis around 9 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2018, when she reportedly had left her grandmother’s house accompanied by an unknown male. Her car was found in a ditch a few miles away, and Shank showed up at a nearby house to call for help, which is what is described in the 911 call. Witnesses said she was not wearing a coat or shoes at the time, and her feet and arms were scratched and bleeding.
In the past couple of years, the family has also asked for the case to be reclassified as a homicide instead of a missing person case, however the Sheriff’s Department has still considered the case to be a missing person case.
In the 911 call, which occurred on Nov. 30, 2018 at 8:51 p.m., Shank said to the dispatcher she was on Fawn River Road, but did not know the address. The dispatcher then asked what cross street or where on Fawn River Road they were, and then after Shank had a discussion with the male homeowner, the call was handed off to the homeowner.
The homeowner then told the dispatcher the address they were at, then when the dispatcher asked what was going on, the homeowner said, “I dunno, the girl just came to the back door, and she had no shoes on, no coat. She’s bleeding on her feet, her arms. She said her boyfriend took off somewhere, he wrecked the car and took off running, I guess.”
The dispatcher then asked about the bleeding on the feet and arms, and the homeowner confirmed that to be the case. The dispatcher then asked the homeowner, “So, the boyfriend took off from the area, do you know, was he abusing her, or what happened?” But the homeowner responded, “I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you that.” When asked by the dispatcher if Shank needed medical attention, he said “She just told me she needed help.”
The dispatcher then said help would be on the way, and asked the homeowner if he knew Shank’s name. He said he didn’t, and that “she didn’t want to talk to me,” and then moments later the homeowner could be heard saying, “Come back in here,” and then told the dispatcher that she just went back outside, seemingly losing contact with Shank. The homeowner said he would try to get her back in the house before the call ended.
In a statement, the sheriff’s department said they have “collaborated with the Michigan State Police” and “utilized their available resources, equipment, and expertise.” Following recent calls from Shank’s family and advocates to turn over the case fully to Michigan State Police, the sheriff’s department seemed to rebuff those calls in their statement.
“Ongoing meetings have led to a collective agreement that the most appropriate agency to continue investigating the case is the Sheriff’s Office, as the agency with the most knowledge of the elements of the case,” the statement read.
The department’s statement also mentioned their partnership with the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program to help digitize and organize the case file and provide timelines, saying that partnership has “ultimately helped to provide timelines and categorize subjects listed within the case file.”
It also mentions the department’s organization of “dozens of searches” in the investigation, including ground searches, aerial surveys, ground-penetrating radar cadaver dogs, the mounted division, and the dive rescue team.
In addition to those resources, the department said they have “encountered challenges including individuals withholding or providing incorrect/incomplete statements,” along with some witnesses having passed away.
“Every available resource has been utilized in this case,” the department said.
Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said in a statement the Sheriff’s Department is “fully committed to this case and remain dedicated to finding the resolution.”
Anyone with new or unreported information on the case is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Jason Auton at (269) 467-9045 ext. 227 or autonj@stjosephcountymi.org.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
