ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Mich. — Brittany Shank went missing on Nov. 30, 2018. Now, almost six years later, the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office has released new information to the public.
“We are fully committed to this case and remain dedicated to finding the resolution,” said Undersheriff Jason Bingaman.
Shank was last seen on Nov. 30, 2018, around 9:40 p.m. in the 33000 block of Fawn River Road in Sturgis.
Bradley Balk was the sheriff at the time of Shank's disappearance. He said she was seen earlier that day with a white man in his early to mid 20s, around 5'6" to 5'8" tall with short blonde hair and mutton chop style sideburns.
Now, the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office has released a sketch of that man, along with a 911 call containing the last known recorded contact with Shank. The call was recorded the day she went missing at 8:51 p.m.
In the call you can hear a woman, presumably Shank, speaking with the 911 operator. She tries to explain where she is at before she hands the phone to a man nearby. The man explains to the 911 operator that the woman just showed up at his door with no shoes or coat, and said that her boyfriend had "wrecked the car" and ran off.
It then sounds like Shank left the home. The 911 operator tells the man to try to keep her there because help is on the way. The operator says he is sending an officer and the call ends. It is not clear whether Shank took off at that point.
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office said that throughout their entire investigation, they have been working with Michigan State Police, utilizing their resources. However, it was decided that the local sheriff's office should handle the investigation as they have the most knowledge of the elements of the case.
They also used help from the Western Michigan University Cold Case Program. They said the program devoted hundreds of hours of time to digitize and organize the case file for investigators, and ultimately helped to provide timelines and categorize subjects listed within the case file.
Authorities also conducted dozens of searches both traditional and non-traditional such as ground searches, aerial surveys, ground penetrating radar, cadaver dogs, the Sheriff’s Office Mounted Division, and the Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team.
The sheriff's office shared that they have run into struggles with the case including individuals withholding or providing incorrect/ incomplete statements. They also said some witnesses have passed away.
Undersheriff Bingham requested that any members of the public with new or unreported information on the case please contact D/Sgt. Jason Auton at 269-467-9045 ext 227 or autonj@stjosephcountymi.org.
