*Last Updated – July 14, 2024*
EARLY LIFE:
Autumn Shaganash, of Constance Lake First Nation, was born in 1996. Always wanting to spend time with friends and talk to her family, she was known for her sense of humour and frequent use of social media.
Autumn was known to frequent the Native Friendship Centre in Barrie, Ontario. At the time of her disappearance, she was living with her sister, Lilli-Anne Moore, in the city’s Allandale neighbourhood. Despite no longer living at home, she kept in regular contact with her mother, Esther, via Facebook Messenger.
The 26-year-old was struggling with depression and anxiety, and had begun to abuse alcohol, but was receiving treatment.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Autumn left her sister’s house, near Burton Avenue and Frank’s Way, at 9:00 PM on June 9, 2023. She told Lilli-Anne she’d be back later, and surveillance footage showed her walk past a nearby convenience store, cross the road and meet an unknown individual.
Later that night, Autumn messaged her cousins to say she was heading to a bar. However, she didn’t specify which one or with whom. At 11:00 PM, she texted Lilli-Anne and told her she’d be staying out late and planned to return home the next day.
At between 9:30 and 9:45 AM the next morning, her sister received a text from her Autumn, asking to be picked up. Despite responding just three minutes later, none of Lilli-Anne’s messages went through, leading her to assume Autumn’s cellphone had died and needed to be charged.
Surveillance footage was later found, timestamped 10:00 AM on June 10, 2023, which showed the 26-year-old walking in the Sunnidale Park area with an unknown man during the Walk to End ALS. She was carrying a pair of skis.
Two days later, without any contact from Autumn, a family member called the Barrie Police Service to report her missing. There has been no activity on her bank account or cellphone since the last time she contacted Lilli-Anne.
INVESTIGATION:
Autumn’s family was able to gain access to her laptop and sift through her social media accounts. She appears to have been messaging someone early on June 10, 2023, around the same time she texted her sister to pick her up. While she didn’t give this unnamed individual the house number or address, she did provide the street name.
The family were also able to access Autumn’s Snapchat account and save several messages from the night prior. They reportedly showed an unknown male and the interior of a house. A street name was also visible in some of the images.
In February 2024, the Barrie Police Service announced a $50,000 reward was being offered for information leading to Autumn’s whereabouts. This was prompted by a decrease in the number of tips being called in by the public and the exhaustion of leads.
A few months later, in April 2024, investigators announced that four billboards featuring information about the case would be erected, along with signs attached to five of the city’s transit buses. The month-long initiative was geared toward renewing public interest in the case, in the hopes someone would come forward with new details.
In early July 2024, it was revealed that Autumn had been spotted in North Bay, Ontario. According to the authorities, the North Bay Police Service had received information that suggested she’d been seen on June 21, in the area of Regina Street and McIntyre Street East.
The Barrie Police Service is in charge of the investigation into Autumn’s disappearance. Autumn’s family have shared their concerns that she was possibly forced into human trafficking, something investigators haven’t fully discounted.
The authorities have conducted ground searches with canines, followed up on leads and put the case in national databases. However, Autumn’s family has criticized how they’re handling the investigation – in particular, what they perceive to be a lack of urgency after the 26-year-old was reported missing.
To supplement what they feel has been a lacklustre investigation, they’ve put up posters, looked into tips themselves and organized their own searches. They’ve also raised money to hire a private investigator through Present Truth Investigations.
DETAILS:
Autumn Hope Shaganash was last seen in the Sunnidale Park area of Barrie, Ontario, on June 10, 2023. The 26-year-old was in the company of an unknown male and was seen carrying a pair of skis. The pair were at the location around the same time as the Walk to End ALS, and the Barrie Police Service is asking anyone who attended to look through their photos and videos and to contact them if they spot anything suspicious.
Autumn is described as having a medium build, standing at 5’3″ and weighing 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and straight black hair, and was last seen wearing a black hoodie/jacket, either beige leggings or a pair of shorts (sources vary), and slip-on Puma sandals. She was carrying a Couture purse, and also had in her nose and septum piercings.
She is known to suffer from anxiety and depression, as well as asthma. She’s prescribed medication for these conditions, which she hasn’t had access to since she went missing.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Barrie Police Service at (705) 725-7025 ext. 2160. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers at +1 (800) 222-8477.
Image Credit: RCMP
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