Overview

Missing: October 20, 1994
Last known area: Burns/Bangor area, La Crosse County, Wisconsin
Age when missing: 29
Case status: Missing; foul play suspected
NamUs: MP8084

Shannon J. Salisbury disappeared after leaving her rural home in the Burns area of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, on the night of October 20, 1994. She was reportedly last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. after an argument with her live-in boyfriend.

Her vehicle was later discovered approximately five miles from her home on Jewett Road near Niedfeldt Road with a flat tire. Shannon was nowhere to be found. Authorities consider her disappearance suspicious, and Wisconsin’s missing-person poster states that foul play is suspected.

More than three decades later, Shannon remains missing.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Shannon J. Salisbury: Wisconsin Missing Person Case

Brief Case Summary

Missing: October 20, 1994
Last known area: Burns/Bangor area, La Crosse County, Wisconsin
Age when missing: 29
Case status: Missing; foul play suspected
NamUs: MP8084

Shannon J. Salisbury disappeared after leaving her rural home in the Burns area of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, on the night of October 20, 1994. She was reportedly last seen at approximately 9:30 p.m. after an argument with her live-in boyfriend.

Her vehicle was later discovered approximately five miles from her home on Jewett Road near Niedfeldt Road with a flat tire. Shannon was nowhere to be found. Authorities consider her disappearance suspicious, and Wisconsin’s missing-person poster states that foul play is suspected.

More than three decades later, Shannon remains missing.

Shannon Salisbury Disappears After Leaving Home

Shannon J. Salisbury was 29 years old and the mother of two young children when she disappeared from rural La Crosse County on October 20, 1994.

Accounts of the case state that Shannon and her live-in boyfriend had argued that evening. Shannon reportedly left the residence at approximately 9:30 p.m. and was never seen again.

Wisconsin’s official missing-person information lists her as missing from Bangor, while other accounts describe her home and last-seen location as Burns, Wisconsin. Both refer to the same La Crosse County case.

Shannon reportedly left behind important personal belongings as well as her two young children. Authorities have said her disappearance is considered suspicious.

Shannon’s Abandoned Car Becomes a Key Piece of the Mystery

One of the most important pieces of evidence in Shannon’s disappearance was her vehicle.

Wisconsin’s updated missing-person poster states that the abandoned car was discovered on October 23, 1994, on Jewett Road near Niedfeldt Road, north of Burns and approximately five miles from Shannon’s home. The vehicle had a flat tire.

Some secondary sources say the car was found the day after Shannon disappeared, creating a discrepancy in the publicly available timeline. The Wisconsin Department of Justice poster gives October 23 as the discovery date, making that the strongest publicly available official date.

Shannon was not with the vehicle.

Accounts of the case state that her purse, wallet and driver’s license were left behind. There was no apparent explanation for where she went after the vehicle became disabled or why she never returned to her children.

Missing-Person Report and Questions Surrounding the Disappearance

According to Wisconsin’s missing-person poster, Shannon’s boyfriend reported her missing two days after she disappeared.

Additional published accounts have reported that Shannon had contacted authorities about a domestic dispute involving her boyfriend approximately a month before she vanished. Wisconsin Missing Persons has reported that the dispute involved Shannon wanting to leave the relationship.

That information provides background to the investigation, but publicly available records do not establish who was responsible for Shannon’s disappearance. No person should be considered responsible unless supported by evidence and official findings.

The official Wisconsin poster states simply that foul play is suspected and the case remains unsolved.

Searches for Shannon Salisbury

Search efforts have continued in the years since Shannon disappeared.

Wisconsin Missing Persons has reported that cadaver dogs were used during searches of the area surrounding where Shannon’s vehicle was located. Those searches were unsuccessful.

Investigators have been left with a difficult question: if Shannon’s vehicle became disabled roughly five miles from home, what happened to her afterward?

There has been no publicly confirmed discovery of Shannon’s remains and no publicly announced resolution of her case.

What Shannon Was Wearing

Shannon was described as approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 107 pounds, with red or auburn hair and blue eyes.

She had distinctive tattoos that could assist with identification: a lion tattoo on her chest and a butterfly tattoo on her back.

Wisconsin authorities say she was last seen wearing a blue denim jacket and green sweatpants, possibly with a green sweatshirt. She was also believed to have been wearing a green or turquoise ring.

Some missing-person databases give slightly broader estimates for her height and weight and state that she may have used the surnames Koskovich or Pischke.

Latest Information on the Shannon Salisbury Investigation

Shannon’s case remains active in Wisconsin’s official missing-person system and in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs MP8084.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice continues to list Shannon as missing from La Crosse County and asks the public to contact the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office with information.

The case also received renewed public attention in April 2026, when FOX 25/48 included Shannon among Wisconsin’s unresolved missing-person cases. The report reiterated that Shannon disappeared after the October 20, 1994 argument, that her boyfriend reported her missing two days later, that her abandoned vehicle was found October 23 approximately five miles from home, and that foul play is suspected.

As of September 2026, publicly available official records still list Shannon as missing. No publicly announced arrest, recovery of her remains, or resolution of the case was located in the sources reviewed for this article.

Why Shannon Salisbury’s Case Remains Important

More than 30 years have passed since Shannon disappeared, but the passage of time does not necessarily eliminate the possibility that someone still possesses useful information.

Even information that once appeared insignificant could potentially provide context when combined with evidence already held by investigators.

Shannon was 29 years old when she vanished. She left behind two young children, personal possessions and a vehicle found only a few miles from home.

Her disappearance remains one of La Crosse County’s long-running unresolved missing-person cases.

Anyone who remembers something about Shannon’s movements on October 20, 1994, her vehicle, activity around Jewett Road or Niedfeldt Road, or circumstances surrounding her disappearance is encouraged to contact law enforcement rather than attempting to investigate individuals independently.