Cheyenne Shropshire vanished at the age of 22 on August 24th, 2018. The young woman was last seen alive in Alcoa, Tennessee. Cheyenne was staying at a local Alcoa Inn on Airport Highway prior to her disappearance. She reportedly vanished from the hotel and was never seen or heard from again.
According to family members, Cheyenne was struggling with substance use disorder in the years leading up to her disappearance. In August 2018, she was reportedly living in active addiction. Cheyenne's sister, Savannah, explained that the family had set some boundaries with Cheyenne during this time - but they still kept in touch regularly.
Savannah reported Cheyenne missing on September 8th, 2018. By that point, it had been weeks since anyone in the family had been in contact with Cheyenne. Despite not having custody, Cheyenne frequently kept in touch with her daughter, who was just 2 years-old at the time. Knowing it was uncharacteristic of her to stay out of touch, Cheyenne's sister contacted police.
Certain reports about Cheyenne's disappearance stated she was seen with a man named Brandon Michael Aguirre shortly before vanishing. She had reportedly told "multiple people that she was scared of Aguirre and thought he might kill her." It seems likely that police questioned/investigated Aguirre in Cheyenne's disappearance, but nothing ever seemed to come of it.
Over a year and a half passed without any sign of Cheyenne. Then, on March 21st, 2020, a property lessee found human remains in a field on Old Middlesettlements Road. Dental records confirmed that the remains were that of Cheyenne Shropshire.
Authorities soon announced that Cheyenne's death was being investigated as a homicide. Monetary rewards have been offered in exchange for information leading to an arrest. Still, years have passed without any movement in the case. Investigators and Cheyenne's loved ones are both left with a big unanswered question: who killed Cheyenne Shropshire?
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More about Cheyenne.
Various information provided through news reports and online forums provide a little bit of information on Cheyenne's life in the years leading up to her disappearance. While it's known that she struggled with addiction, Cheyenne also was a seemingly kind, smart, and loving person who, like all people, battled some inner demons.
Cheyenne and her sister Savannah were born just sixteen months apart. According to Savannah, the two were very close growing up. In a 2023 report about Cheyenne's case, Savannah told reporters, "We did everything together. There's nothing that we didn't do together. Even when we got older she would tag along with me. And I would tag along with her up all the way until high school."
Other information found online about Cheyenne indicates she went to college after graduating high school but seemingly had to drop out after getting pregnant. A user on a Websleuths thread about Cheyenne's case posted about knowing Cheyenne for about a year in college, corroborating this information.
This post was dated November 13th, 2019, and the user never posted in the thread again afterwards. However, the information in this post also seemingly corroborates the fact that Cheyenne was struggling with substance use disorder. In the same thread, another user inquired about Cheyenne's daughter. According to various Facebook pages, the daughter was in care of Cheyenne's mother. The father of the child appeared to be quite involved in the daughter's life as well.
The battle with addiction; references to Aguirre.
Cheyenne's family members reportedly found out that she was struggling with drug addiction in 2017. Cheyenne confessed to her family that she was using. The family tried to get her help, but unfortunately Cheyenne's substance abuse disorder had a strong grip.
As noted above, Cheyenne's family had to set some boundaries with her due to the drug use. Cheyenne's sister Savannah explained, "There were times when I had to back away from our relationship because there were times that she had stolen from me and things like that. But that doesn't mean she wasn't an amazing person, and that I didn't love her. Sometimes tough love is just necessary."
It seems likely that the addiction is what led Cheyenne to staying at the Alcoa Inn. It's also possible that this is what led to her association with Brandon Aguirre - the man she had told others that she was afraid of prior to her disappearance. Aguirre has been referenced on Facebook, Websleuths, and on Charley Project in regard to Cheyenne's disappearance - however the mainstream media reports do not appear to reference him at all.
Cheyenne's disappearance.
Savannah said that she last saw Cheyenne shortly before she vanished in August 2018. Savannah was working a shift at Bojangles, and Cheyenne came to the restaurant to ask for some food. Savannah did not give her food at the time but told her to come back when the restaurant was closing, and she would give her food then.
When closing time came, Cheyenne never showed up. Savannah sent her a text at 11:01 PM saying, "Aren't you supposed to pick up this food, we are about to leave." Savannah received a response from Cheyenne's phone hours later, at 4:09 AM that read, "I was there at 10:40 to pick it up and nobody was there."
That was the last known correspondence between the two sisters. However, it is unknown if Cheyenne herself is the one who sent that final message at 4:09 AM. After Cheyenne was reported missing, footage from the Bojangles restaurant was pulled. The footage does not capture Cheyenne at the restaurant at 10:40 PM, as the text alleges.
Many reports state that Cheyenne was last seen at the Alcoa Inn - so it appears that there was a confirmed sighting of her at the hotel after she visited Savannah at Bojangles. Cheyenne's trail seemingly went cold after that, though - as it cannot be confirmed that she returned to Bojangles - despite the text message.
As previously noted, Cheyenne was reported missing on September 8th, 2018 - weeks after she was last seen. Searches were conducted, and appeals to the public were made, but no sign of Cheyenne was found. As weeks turned into months, Cheyenne's disappearance slipped into a cold case.
Nineteen months later: remains found.
After over a year and a half with no answers, a break was finally made in the case on March 21st, 2020, when human remains were found. The remains were discovered in a field by a property lessee on Old Middlesettlements Road; located just a few miles away from where Cheyenne was last seen.
Within a matter of days, the remains were identified as Cheyenne. It was also quickly announced that her death was being investigated as a homicide. However, a cause of death has never been publicly released. It's unclear if an autopsy was ever able to be completed.
Who killed Cheyenne?
Several years have passed since Cheyenne's disappearance and the subsequent discovery of her remains. Unfortunately, her murder is still unsolved. Authorities have remained quiet about the status of the investigation; no suspects or persons of interest have ever been publicly announced.
There is a monetary reward available in exchange for information that leads to an arrest/prosecution of Cheyenne's killer(s). If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Blount County authorities at 865-273-5001 or submit a tip online.
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Sources:
Justice for Cheyenne
WATE 6, (2), (3)
WBIR, (2)
Websleuths
Sources:
Justice for Cheyenne
WATE 6, (2), (3)
WBIR, (2)
Websleuths
