Overview

Missing: Shanna Marie Oman
Age when missing: 39
From: Eagle River, Alaska
Officially reported last seen: Approximately 12:30 a.m., June 3, 2019
Official last-seen location: Residence off McGrath Road, Fairbanks, Alaska
Later reported location: Cabin near Mile 23 Chena Hot Springs Road/Pleasant Valley Road; cabin owner reported she walked away June 4
Last cell-phone activity: June 4, near Mile 17 Chena Hot Springs Road
Status: Endangered missing / unresolved
NamUs: MP57954
Alaska State Troopers incident: AK19037617

Main Circumstances

Oman was visiting Fairbanks and was expected to receive a ride back to Eagle River. After leaving a McGrath Road residence, she was subsequently confirmed to have been at a cabin near Mile 23 Chena Hot Springs Road. The cabin owner reported that she walked away June 4. Her cell phone later pinged near Mile 17. Oman reportedly left behind her money, dog and other belongings. Helicopter, canine and ground searches failed to locate her, and she has not been publicly confirmed seen since.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Shanna Marie Oman Missing Person Case: What Happened Near Fairbanks, Alaska?

Shanna Marie Oman was 39 years old when she disappeared in the Fairbanks, Alaska area in June 2019. Originally from Eagle River, Oman had traveled to Fairbanks and was visiting a friend when a sequence of events along McGrath Road and Chena Hot Springs Road ended with her vanishing without a confirmed trace.

More than seven years later, her whereabouts remain unknown. The case is recorded in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as NamUs MP57954, while the Alaska State Troopers identify their investigation as incident AK19037617.

Shanna Oman’s Disappearance

According to the Alaska State Troopers, Oman was reported last seen at approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 3, 2019, when she left a residence off McGrath Road in Fairbanks. Oman lived in Eagle River and had been visiting a friend in Fairbanks. The friend was reportedly supposed to drive her back to Eagle River.

When Oman disappeared from contact, the friend initially believed she had arranged another way home. Concern increased after Oman’s roommate in Eagle River contacted the friend and said Oman had never returned. Alaska State Troopers subsequently received a request for a welfare check on June 9.

The investigation soon established another important location in the case.

The Cabin Near Chena Hot Springs Road

On June 12, Alaska State Troopers received information that Oman had been at a cabin near Mile 23 of Chena Hot Springs Road. Later accounts identify the location as a cabin on or near Pleasant Valley Road.

Authorities confirmed Oman had been at the cabin. According to investigators, the cabin owner reported that Oman walked away from the location on June 4.

The property borders the Chena River. The cabin owners allowed authorities to search the property, but investigators did not find evidence establishing what happened to Oman after she left.

This makes the June 4 reported sighting near Mile 23 particularly important. Although the official missing-person bulletin describes Oman as last seen leaving McGrath Road early June 3, subsequent investigative information placed her at the Chena Hot Springs Road cabin and indicated she left there June 4.

Shanna Oman’s Cell Phone Provided Another Clue

Oman apparently had her cell phone with her after leaving her other belongings behind. According to later case summaries, the phone’s battery was dying the last time she communicated with someone.

Investigators obtained information from the phone and determined that its last known ping was near Mile 17 of Chena Hot Springs Road on June 4, 2019.

The location became a focus of the search.

Alaska State Troopers deployed Helo-2, while PAWS Search and Rescue dogs searched on the ground. Despite those efforts and searches around the cabin and Chena River area, investigators found no sign of Oman.

Personal Belongings Left Behind

One of the circumstances that continues to stand out is what Oman reportedly left behind.

Later case summaries state that she left her belongings, including her money and her dog, behind. She apparently retained her cell phone.

Oman was also expected to travel again shortly after her disappearance. Contemporary reporting stated she was supposed to fly to Seattle to attend a high school graduation, but she did not make the flight.

There is no publicly confirmed explanation for why Oman left the cabin, where she intended to go, whether she had arranged transportation, or how her phone came to register near Mile 17.

Search of the Chena River Area

The terrain surrounding Chena Hot Springs Road complicated the search. The cabin connected with Oman’s disappearance was near property bordering the Chena River, leading searchers to examine the surrounding area.

Authorities used both aerial and ground resources. Search-and-rescue dogs were deployed, and Alaska State Troopers’ helicopter searched along the river and surrounding terrain. The searches did not locate Oman or publicly reported evidence explaining her disappearance.

The Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin issued June 13, 2019, stated that search efforts would continue and asked anyone with information to contact the Fairbanks troopers.

What Does Shanna Oman Look Like?

At the time she disappeared, Oman was 39 years old, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed about 120 pounds. She has blonde or strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. Her date of birth is November 7, 1979.

Descriptions of her possible clothing vary among case sources. The Alaska State Troopers’ original bulletin said her clothing and direction of travel were unknown, while subsequent records indicate she may have been wearing a long or short-sleeved shirt with khaki slacks, shorts, or underwear.

Latest Publicly Available Information on the Investigation

Oman’s case remains publicly listed in NamUs as MP57954, and the Alaska State Troopers missing-person bulletin remains available through the Alaska Department of Public Safety. The troopers’ case reference is AK19037617.

In July 2024, KTVF Channel 11’s “Missing in the North” revisited Oman’s disappearance. The report said there had been no trace of her since 2019 and again highlighted the McGrath Road residence, the Pleasant Valley/Chena Hot Springs Road cabin, the Mile 17 cell-phone ping, the belongings she left behind and the unsuccessful community search. The station continued to direct anyone with information to the Alaska State Troopers.

Current publicly accessible records reviewed for this article do not identify a suspect or person of interest, announce an arrest, or establish that Oman was the victim of a homicide. Her disappearance should therefore not be characterized as a confirmed homicide. The Charley Project classifies her as endangered missing and reports that her family believes she is deceased, but what happened to her has not been publicly established.

As of the latest information located, there has been no publicly announced resolution to the case. Anyone with firsthand information about Oman’s movements on June 3 or June 4, 2019—particularly around McGrath Road, Pleasant Valley Road or Chena Hot Springs Road—is encouraged to provide that information directly to investigators.

Brief Case Summary

Missing: Shanna Marie Oman
Age when missing: 39
From: Eagle River, Alaska
Officially reported last seen: Approximately 12:30 a.m., June 3, 2019
Official last-seen location: Residence off McGrath Road, Fairbanks, Alaska
Later reported location: Cabin near Mile 23 Chena Hot Springs Road/Pleasant Valley Road; cabin owner reported she walked away June 4
Last cell-phone activity: June 4, near Mile 17 Chena Hot Springs Road
Status: Endangered missing / unresolved
NamUs: MP57954
Alaska State Troopers incident: AK19037617

Main Circumstances

Oman was visiting Fairbanks and was expected to receive a ride back to Eagle River. After leaving a McGrath Road residence, she was subsequently confirmed to have been at a cabin near Mile 23 Chena Hot Springs Road. The cabin owner reported that she walked away June 4. Her cell phone later pinged near Mile 17. Oman reportedly left behind her money, dog and other belongings. Helicopter, canine and ground searches failed to locate her, and she has not been publicly confirmed seen since.