By Rick Cordes
C-N correspondent
CENTREVILLE — Supporters of a proposal to have the Michigan State Police take over the investigation into the 2018 disappearance of Brittany Wallace Shank gathered in Centreville Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26 to voice their concerns about lack of progress in the investigation.
Wallace-Shank was last seen on the evening of November 30, 2018 when she appeared at a residence along Fawn River Road in rural Sturgis, asking for help. Occupants of the home let her in and Shank phoned 911 seeking assistance. Witnesses noted that she was shoeless and coatless, and had blood on her arms and feet.
Police were dispatched to the location but by the time officers arrived Wallace-Shank had retreated into the night. She has not been seen since that time, and, with an understanding that foul play may have occurred, numerous searches for her body have been conducted.
Convening on the St. Joseph County Courthouse lawn in Centreville, the group urging MSP’S direct involvement marched along Main Street chanting demands that the St. Joseph County Sheriff Mark Lillywhite and Prosecutor David Marvin turn the case over.
Arriving at the sheriff’s department lawn, the group heard speakers criticize the efforts of local law enforcement. Attendees were urged to demand that the Sheriff’s Department turn over jurisdiction of the case to the Michigan State Police.
Wallace-Shank’s father Greg Wallace spoke, emotionally describing the anguish he’s experienced awaiting results from the six-year investigation into his daughter’s disappearance. He believes it’s time to turn the case over to the MSP
Lindsay Turner of Belleville, who, with her husband D’wayne, are lead advocates for the proposal, expressed frustration with local law enforcement and demanded a change of ownership of the case.
The Turner’s faith in MSP leadership stems from personal experience. D’Wayne’s sister was murdered in 2017, and a three-year investigation by local authorities in Van Buren Township (near Detroit) failed to lead to arrests. The case was turned over to the Michigan State Police, and was solved not long after.
The St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department has issued a statement in the Wallace-Shank case, citing collaboration with the MSP and stating that numerous resources have been dedicated to solving her disappearance.
Those currently responsible for administering St. Joseph County law enforcement activities—Sheriff Mark Llilywhite and Prosecutor David Marvin—will be succeeded January 1 by Chad Spence and Deborah Davis, respectively (with Undersheriff Jason Bingaman retiring from his position at the end of November). Lillywhite has been inactive as sheriff since his arrest for a DUI crash on Feb. 26, 2023.
