Stearns County (trfnews.i234.me) — A chilling discovery in rural Stearns County has finally brought closure to a nearly nine-year-long mystery. Human remains located last week have been officially identified as those of Shannah Marie Boiteau, a woman missing since 2016.
On Saturday, April 26, 2025, the Saint Cloud Police Department responded to a property in the 25000 block of County Road 74 after the landowner reported finding skeletal remains. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) assisted with the recovery operation, conducted close to the area where Boiteau was last seen nearly a decade ago.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Monday, April 28, 2025, that the remains indeed belonged to Boiteau.
Boiteau disappeared the afternoon of June 22, 2016, after fleeing on foot from a vehicle driven by her boyfriend near Interstate 94 and County Road 74 in Saint Cloud. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as wearing a tan tank top and black leggings, with her brown hair tied up.
Authorities previously noted that Boiteau had an active warrant for a probation violation, a history of drug use, and no known connections to the Saint Cloud area. She was also without a cell phone when she went missing, complicating search efforts.
The investigation into her death remains active. Police, the Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Minnesota BCA continue to collaborate to determine exactly how and when Boiteau died.
Boiteau had originally been reported missing out of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and her case drew comparisons to other high-profile missing persons cases in the region.
Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Saint Cloud Police Department or submit a tip to Tri-County Crime Stoppers.
Did you know?
Over 600,000 people are reported missing each year in the United States, but only a fraction of cases like Boiteau’s result in long-term mysteries, some stretching for decades until discoveries like this one.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.