EARLY LIFE:
Autumn Shaganash, of Constance Lake First Nation, was born in 1996. She always wanted to spend time with friends and talk to her family, and she was known for her sense of humour and frequent use of social media. Autumn was also known to frequent Barrie, Ontario’s Native Friendship Centre.
At the time of her disappearance, Autumn was living with her sister, Lilli-Anne Moore, in Barrie’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 9:00PM on June 9, 2023. She told Lilli-Anne that 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 11:00PM, 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 9:45AM 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 10:00AM on June 10, 2023, which showed the 26-year-old walking in 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 phone 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.
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 case – in particular, what they perceive to be a lack of urgency after they reported the 26-year-old missing. To supplement what they feel has been a lacklustre investigation, they have put up posters, looked into tips themselves and organized their own searches.
They’ve also raised money to hire a private investigator.
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 in the area 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 also had in her nose and septum piercings.
The missing woman 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. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers at +1 (800) 222-8477.
Image Credit: RCMP
Stories of the Unsolved 