Missing since November 30, 2018 · Sturgis, Michigan

Brittany
Wallace Shank

A twenty-three-year-old mother of four from Sturgis, Michigan. Hazel eyes, dark hair dyed red, shaved sides, piercings. On a snowy November night she crashed on Fawn River Road, sought help barefoot and bleeding at two homes, then vanished into the dark. Her family is still searching.

0
Days missing
23
Years old
4
Children
Brittany Wallace Shank

The case

What we know

Last seen
Fawn River Rd
3300 block near Workman Rd, Fawn River Township, just outside Sturgis. A snowy night, Nov 30, 2018.
Description
5'1", 110 lbs
Hazel eyes. Dark hair dyed red with shaved sides. Nose, lip, eyebrow and tongue piercings, gauged ears, tattoos.
Last seen wearing
Barefoot
Blue jeans, a white tank top, an Army-green coat. No shoes.
Last seen with
An unknown man
White male, early-to-mid 20s, 5'6"–5'8", short blonde hair, mutton-chop sideburns. Never identified.
Status
Unsolved
An active, endangered missing-person case. No remains have been recovered.
Case file
NamUs MP56494
911 audio and a police sketch were released in 2024. The FBI joined the case in 2025.

November 30, 2018

The night she disappeared

Earlier that evening

Brittany is at her grandmother's house in Sturgis doing laundry, seen with an unknown man. She leaves with him.

About 8:51 PM · the crash

Their car slides into a ditch on Fawn River Road in the snow. The man takes the car and flees, leaving her barefoot, coatless and bleeding.

8:51 PM · the 911 call

She reaches an elderly neighbor's back door. He lends her a coat and calls 911; she tells the dispatcher it's "off of Fawn River," then becomes agitated.

Minutes later · she runs

Before police arrive, Brittany flees into the dark. The neighbor calls after her to come back. She does not.

The last sighting

At a second home, a teenager alone inside locks eyes with her through a window. No one sees Brittany again.

After

Officers find the car abandoned. Years of ground, aerial, K-9 and dive searches turn up no trace.

Her story

Don't let her be forgotten

The investigation
Multi-agency
Led by the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office, with Michigan State Police, the WMU Cold Case Program, and the FBI.
The evidence
Heard & seen
The 911 call and a sketch of the man last seen with her were released to the public in 2024.
The podcast
Hide & Seek
The series follows her case in depth, from the 911 call to her father's fight to keep it alive.

Have you seen Brittany?

Any detail could be the one that matters, and you can report anonymously. Her disappearance is an active case worked by the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police, and the FBI.

Det/Sgt. Jason Auton · (269) 467-9045 ext. 227 · autonj@stjosephcountymi.org
St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office (269) 467-9045  |  Silent Observer (anonymous) (616) 774-2345  |  NamUs #MP56494