Police say Barrie woman, missing over a year, spotted in North Bay

Police in North Bay say 26-year-old Autumn Shaganash, who has been missing from Barrie for just over a year now, was reportedly seen in North Bay a few weeks ago.

“The Barrie Police Service received information that Autumn was seen in North Bay on June 21 in the area of Regina Street and McIntrye Street East,” said David Woolley, police corporate communications officer in North Bay in a press release sent to BarrieToday Tuesday afternoon in which police asked for the public’s help in finding her.

The last time her family saw Shaganash was on June 9, the day before she disappeared without a trace.

Her last known location was captured on a home surveillance video near Anne Street close to Sunnidale Park on June 10, 2023.

“The Barrie Police Service has been in contact with the North Bay Police Service regarding information about a possible sighting in the North Bay area last month, and they were asked to share a media release with the information,” police spokesperson Jennett Mays told BarrieToday.

The police release describes Shaganash as “female, Indigenous, five feet, three inches, 130 pounds, and last observed wearing a black hoodie, beige leggings, slip-on Puma sandals and carrying a Couture purse.”

Police are asking anyone with information regarding the disappearance of Autumn Shaganash to call the Barrie Police Service Major Crime at 705-725-7025 extension 2160.

Anyone reporting a sighting of Autumn in North Bay should contact the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555 and press 5 to speak with an officer.

Her family reported her missing on June 12, 2023.

Shaganash "vanished into thin air," according to one Barrie police official.

City police have said there has been no activity on her social media.

Her family has also said there has been no banking activity recorded anywhere and no health-card records generated by any kind of medical visits.

Her family has since hired Present Truth Investigations to work independently of local police in an attempt to find Shaganash.

On April 9, Barrie police officials announced they had partnered with an advertising company to post signs on Barrie Transit buses and local billboards in an effort to locate Shaganash.

In what was called an investigative first for Barrie police, which began on April 1 and continued for the entire month, five Barrie Transit buses carried the message to “all corners of the city,” reminding residents and transit riders the investigation into Shaganash’s disappearance remains active and ongoing.

In addition to the buses, four digital billboards in Barrie carried a message police hope will generate tips from the public that could bring resolution to the investigation, which has “stymied detectives” for months, police say.

On Feb. 8, Police Chief Rich Johnston announced on behalf of the Barrie Police Services Board that a $50,000 reward had been approved for information confirming her whereabouts.

Timeline of events

• June 9, 2023: In the evening hours, Autumn Shaganash leaves her sister’s home in the Allandale neighbourhood, near Burton Avenue and Frank’s Way. She was wearing a black hoodie, shorts and Puma sandals. She was also carrying a black and tan purse.
• June 10, 2023: Between 9:30 a.m and 9:45 a.m., Shaganash’s sister receives a text message asking to be picked up. Only three minutes had passed when her sister tried to respond to the message. But Shaganash’s phone went to voicemail and appeared to have been turned off, according to police. (In January 2024, the private investigator hired by the family noted that, in an effort to unearth potential clues, he had gained access to her “digital footprint” and discovered a message sent in the early-morning hours of June 10, which “alluded to her presence at an unspecified location.”)
• June 10, 2023: Police say Shaganash was making her way to the city waterfront to watch the Barrie Airshow with a male friend who was walking ahead of her when she vanished. At the same time, an ALS fundraising event was taking place in Sunnidale Park. She was seen in the Kozlov Street area near Sunnidale Park, and in the Sunnidale Road and Letitia Street area between 10 a.m. and noon. Police have said they have video evidence of this.
• June 12, 2023: A missing-person investigation is launched after local police are notified of Shaganash's disappearance. Sunnidale Park was subsequently searched numerous times using police drones and canine teams, but to no avail. Police had also searched downtown Toronto, without any positive results.
• June 21, 2023: Police are asked if the case is 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,” says a police official. “There has been no confirmation that she is being held against her will.”
• June 27, 2023: Barrie police make a public appeal to people who were in attendance at the ALS fundraiser for potential photographic/video evidence that could help in the investigation.
• Aug. 2, 2023: Investigators release new photos in hopes of jogging people’s memories and generating new leads in the search for Shaganash.
• Sept. 19, 2023: Shaganash’s 27th birthday.
• Nov. 14, 2023: Shaganash’s sister pleads with the public for information. “We really miss her. It’s been too long,” she says.
• Jan. 23, 2024: Shaganash’s family announces they have hired a private investigator, Derwin Johnson, of Toronto-based Present Truth Investigations.
• Jan. 27, 2024: The private investigator tells BarrieToday the family has provided evidence to him that they had obtained independent of the police investigation. This includes video surveillance footage from a residential home showing Shaganash walking with the male friend, mentioned above, but the family has also acquired additional video that “they are kind of holding close to their chest,” Johnson says. “They’ve shared (it) with us and we are analyzing that video now.”
• Feb. 8, 2024: Almost eight months after Shaganash was reported missing, Barrie police hold a news conference to announce a $50,000 reward for information that helps locate the missing woman. During the question-and-answer period with reporters, police say they have had “numerous” leads.
• April 9, 2024: Barrie police announce they have partnered with an advertising company to post signs on Barrie Transit buses and billboards around the city in an effort to locate her.
• May 30, 2024: The private investigator tells BarrieToday “a few witnesses have come forward, and leads have been forwarded to (Barrie police), but as you are aware, they will not share the results of their investigative efforts, or if the leads had substance.”
• June 9, 2024: Shaganash’s sister tells BarrieToday about a lead being followed involving a black car a witness said was in the Sunnidale area asking a female for a ride. She said a similar black car can be seen in surveillance video.
• July 9, 2024:  North Bay police say Barrie police received information that Shaganash had been sighted in North Bay on June 21, and asked the public for help in locating her.