Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Disappearance and Death of Shawnta Pankey

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Shawnta Pankey vanished in Idaho on April 15th, 2018. The then-25-year-old was seen near her Grangeville apartment with her boyfriend, Eddie Mills, around 2:00 AM. Surveillance cameras captured the couple making several trips back and forth from the apartment to Mills' car while carrying camping gear.  Shawnta and Mills left the apartment building in the vehicle around 2:15 AM. By 11:06 AM, Mills returned to the apartment building alone. Shawnta was never seen or heard from again.

Shawnta was reported missing the following day, after she did not pick up her daughter from her mother’s house as planned.  When Mills was questioned, he said that he and Shawnta got into an argument while camping at Pine Bar along the Salmon River. Shawnta then decided to talk a walk around 10:00 AM and never returned.

As the last person to have seen Shawnta, Mills was inevitably labeled as a person of interest. He denied any knowledge of her whereabouts and agreed to take a polygraph exam. Reports stated that Mills did not show up for the planned polygraph at first – but he did eventually take the exam, and he passed. This still did not rule Mills out completely, but it did prompt investigators to look at other possible scenarios.

One couple reported seeing a woman matching Shawnta’s description hiking up grade near the river between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on the day of her disappearance. Investigators conducted several searches in that area and in the surrounding areas, but they were unable to locate Shawnta. The area from which she vanished reportedly has very little cell phone service, so investigators were unable to track her cell phone pings.

On May 5th, 2019 - over a year after Shawnta's disappearance - human remains were found near Buffalo Eddy on the Snake River. Days later, it was confirmed that those remains were that of Shawnta Pankey. The FBI then began conducting a forensic examination on her remains. By late November 2019, it was announced that investigators had finished the forensic examination, but they declined to provide any further details. 

To this day, Shawnta's cause and manner of death has not been revealed. However, there is speculation that she was murdered. Many people still believe her boyfriend Eddie Mills was involved. Still - no arrests have been made in Shawnta's case.

Shawnta's loved ones are hoping to find answers in her case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Idaho County Sheriff's Office at 208-983-1100.
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9 comments:

  1. Everyone knows that piece of crap Eddie Mills did something to that beautiful girl and she may not have helped him get rid of her but you can bet Pebbles Warman knows what he did. Pebbles had Shawnta's belonging and refused to give them to her Mom and sister. Very heartbreaking that he is getting away with this.

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  2. Tell me who goes camping by 2:00am in the morning. I think this was planned by the boyfriend. It gave him the perfect lie out of the situation. Polygraph tests only ask questions. Doesn't mean it asks the right questions.

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  3. Just curious, I recall the name Pebbles in my meth using days...were these people using?
    It does change the dynamics of the case if so.
    Btw..I have been clean 7 years..
    #Wedorecover

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    1. Yes they were! In grangeville. Had an apt there

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  4. They need to look harder at the people, Mills, pebbles, so many more. I could add names in that group. Those people will do anything to get what they need/get rid of the problem. Yes there all on drugs hardcore drugs. I know this first hand with what that large group did to my family. If it was more than one person to accomplish what they did to us then I know it wasnt just him. Wish more could be said. Just not to sure how anonymous this truly is....

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  5. That hole group has gotten away with far to much, drugs, stealing 😑 and ect. Yet they just keep get let out. They all know the laws to well.

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  6. Did she have trauma to the back of her head? Holes? ......with out being to pacific.

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    1. Hi. I'm from the area but have been gone since about 15. I believe if she had trauma in the way your asking. We would here more. About a search for a weapon. If you do have anything at all. I am not asking you for 1 second to put it here. But I am asking gyou human to human, because I believe you 100%. Please talk to some1. You have no idea if a simple unrelated detail could change everything. And of course I've always gone camping between midnight and 4 am. NOPelE. Obviously they were using. But I truly don't blame believe that changes what happened to her. The circumstances maybe. Bit not the motive or WHO DID IT.

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  7. very strange they wouldn't release results

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