Shannon Sherrill:1986, Thorntown, Indiana

   

  Shannon Sherrill was a six year old kindergartner in 1986.  She lived with her 24 year old mother, Dorothy and her younger brother, David, in a trailer park in Thorntown.

  Shannon was playing outside with a group of other children. Sunday October 5th 1986 was like any other day.  Children want to be outside running, playing and enjoying the day. Kids naturally gravitate toward one another when their homes are so close together. 

  Thorntown, Indiana is a small town between Indianapolis and Lafayette.  

   Shannon was wearing a yellow sundress and was barefoot according to newspapers of the time. (NAMUS reports it was a white dress with blue trim.)  It was October but it can still be quite warm in October in Indiana. Shannon was first missed at 1:30 p.m. The other children did not notice anything. They saw no unusual people. They heard no screams.  When it was time for Shannon to come inside around 1:30, her mother could not find her anywhere. Her disappearance had gone completely unnoticed. Her mother reported her missing immediately.

   Shannon was described as very shy. Her mother said she was afraid of the dark. It seems unlikely that she would go with a stranger willingly or wander off on her own.

 

    Was she taken into another trailer? Was she taken away from the trailer park altogether?  We don’t know. 

    A couple reported seeing a red truck with a man and a child later on the road.  They heard of the disappearance when they returned home and thought they might have seen Shannon in that man’s truck.  

   It is possible that a stranger from out of town came to the Thorntown trailer park and abducted Shannon. 

   It is also possible that someone who lived in the trailer park lured her into their trailer. Maybe they had a pet or offered a treat. 

   Searches were conducted for Shannon. The neighborhood children were questioned and a hypnotist was even brought in. Investigators hoped to see if any of the children could recall anything under hypnosis. 

   Did police look at all the residents and their backgrounds?  Have they looked at the criminal activity of those people since then?  There might have been a person with a clean record then but now we know more about them. I know that is a tremendous task and police have new cases coming at them every day. 

   It would be a good idea to look at acquaintances of the family and anyone who came and went from the trailer park.  Perhaps they weren’t a resident but a fairly regular visitor. I wonder if any long term residents of the area could assist. 

   Shannon’s Mom and little brother moved across town after Shannon disappeared. Their trailer and the neighborhood held too many memories. 

   Years after the disappearance a woman called the family claiming to be Shannon.  Shannon’s father spoke to the woman on the phone.  He was elated that he might soon see his little girl. It turned out to be just a cruel hoax. 

   One person I suspect in Shannon’s disappearance is Omer R. “Steve” Beebout. He murdered Frances Annette Cole from Lebanon in 1983. He left her body near Thorntown. Her younger sister Debra Jean Cole disappeared in 1981. She has never been found. Omer Beebout died in 1989. He was the boyfriend of the Cole girls’ mother. If remains are ever found land testing can take place; consider Omer Beebout. 

   Perhaps there is someone out there who knows something.  Maybe it did not seem important or sinister at the time. Sometimes that little thing could mean a break in the case. Maybe someone knows something. Maybe they felt loyal to someone then but they no longer feel that loyalty.  Hopefully they will come forward and submit a tip. 

   My usual method has me looking up death certificates and looking at Find A Grave. I kept going that direction and remembering that Shannon is missing, not dead.  Shannon has yet to be found.

  NAMUS has a page about Shannon and they have age progressed photos of her. This is the most updated progression photo: 

  There is always hope that a case will be solved. 

   If you have any information please call the Thorntown, Indiana Police Department at (765) 436-7677

Cases that get attention get solved. Listen to and share this case on YouTube https://youtu.be/WbnIx05XKCo?si=uNHCtlQjQIVpeuYv