Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie

MISSING: Brittany Wallace Shank

June 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

On the night of November 30, 2018, a young woman showed up barefoot and coatless at a stranger's back door in rural Sturgis, Michigan. The man who answered, John, called 911 and described her as scratched up and bleeding, but calm. She said her boyfriend had wrecked their car and then taken off on foot without her. While John was on the phone with dispatch, the woman—later identified as 23-year-old Brittany Wallace Shank—took off into the freezing darkness, still barefoot but now wearing a green John Deere sweatshirt John had given her. She has never been seen again.

The night of November 30, 2018

Brittany had been staying with her on-and-off boyfriend, Sheldon Ashbrook, in Sturgis, Michigan. That evening, she borrowed his car to go to her grandmother's house to do laundry. She left Sheldon's around 5:00 or 6:00 PM, and he later told investigators she called him to complain the car was low on gas. A gas receipt later surfaced showing a $20 purchase at a Marathon station on Fawn River Road at 6:11 PM that night.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

What you'll learn

  • 1 (02:18) **911 Call and Initial Incident** - A woman, later identified as Brittany Wallace Shank, shows up barefoot and coatless at a stranger's back door on Fawn River Road in Sturgis, Michigan on November 30, 2018, claiming her boyfriend wrecked their car and took off.
  • 2 (04:57) **Case Overview: A Disappearance That Defies Explanation** - Brittany has never been seen again since slipping into the darkness that night, and the conflicting stories and allegations make the case a mystery.
  • 3 (08:51) **Initial Assumptions and the Boyfriend's Story** - Brittany's family and boyfriend initially assumed she was laying low, but her prolonged absence and lack of social media activity raised alarm.
  • 4 (12:37) **The Mystery Man at Grandma's** - On the night of November 30th, Brittany stopped by her grandma's house to do laundry with a thin white man in his early-to-mid-20s with short blonde hair and mutton chop sideburns, wearing a yellow sweatsuit.
  • 5 (17:26) **Sheldon's Account and the Car's Condition** - Sheldon says Brittany told him "you're not gonna like me much later" before leaving, which he interpreted as her going to get high; he later searched for her at known drug spots.
  • 6 (25:32) **The Second House and the Teen Witness** - A teenager home alone on Fawn River Road saw Brittany circling his house in the green coat John gave her, while someone else knocked on his front door.
  • 7 (29:06) **The Missing Phone and Unprocessed Car** - Brittany's phone was never recovered from Sheldon's car, and the car itself was never processed for evidence, a major investigative failure.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

On November 30, 2018, 23-year-old Brittany Wallace Shank showed up barefoot and bleeding at a stranger's door asking for help. She said the man she was with had crashed their car and ran away. Deputies were on the way. But before they arrived, Brittany disappeared into the darkness. She has never been seen again.

  • If you know anything about the disappearance of Brittany Wallace Shank, especially if you recognize the man in these sketches, you can contact the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office at 269-467-9045.

 

Head over to our Crime Junkie YouTube channel to WATCH this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV08qqbNnrI 

Source materials for this episode cannot be listed here due to character limitations. For a full list of sources, please visit:  https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/missing-brittany-wallace-shank/

Did you know you can listen to this episode ad-free? Join the Fan Club! Visit https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/fanclub/ to view the current membership options and policies.

Don’t miss out on all things Crime Junkie!


Crime Junkie is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. 

Crime Junkie

More from this podcast

Crime Junkie →