The case of a missing woman has Barrie police searching all avenues to find out what may have happened to her.
City police say that Autumn Shaganash, 26, was last seen leaving the home of a family member on Friday, June 9 in the Allandale neighbourhood near Burton Avenue and Frank's Way. Police were notified early in the afternoon of June 12 and a full report was taken.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon told BarrieToday that one of Shaganash's family members received a text message from her on June 10 and then she was unreachable.
“We have been investigating her disappearance ever since and it would appear from investigative resources that are available to police that she has vanished into thin air,” Leon said. “We know that she is active on social media, but even that activity has ceased as well.”
Leon was asked if the disappearance was being treated as an abduction or possibly linked to human-trafficking.
“There is no evidence that human trafficking is involved, but we obviously are going to look at every possible angle here,” he said. “There has been no confirmation that she is being held against her will.”
Leon also spoke of the concern for how long it took for police to be made aware of her disappearance.
“It was over 48 hours before we were made involved and by then she could be anywhere in the country," he said. "She could have hopped on a bus or something. It's not like we’ve had a sighting and now we can focus on that area.”
Investigators have seen video which shows Shaganash leaving her house at 9 p.m., on June 9, but nothing more has come to light that could indicate her whereabouts.
“I know that yesterday morning, detectives from our Criminal Investigation Division spent part of the morning patrolling the downtown area searching for her,” Leon said. “We are hoping someone has information that will lead us to Autumn so that we can bring her home to her family.
"Each hour, each minute, is more and more painful for the family.”
Shaganash was wearing a black hoodie, shorts, slip-on Puma sandals, and had a black/tan purse.
Anyone with information about Autumn Shaganash's whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.
