IN IN - Shannon Turner, 33, Indianapolis, 4 Dec 1997

Marilynilpa

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I searched for a thread for this woman, but couldn't find one.

Shannon Rayanne Turner has been missing from Indianapolis, Indiana since 12/4/97. When last seen she was in the company of her boyfriend, a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. It is believed Shannon was in Las Vegas, Nevada with her boyfriend in December of 1997.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/turner_shannon.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1910dfin.html

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/1130/0/

Shannon has worked in the past as an exotic dancer. She has multiple tattoos as listed in the above links.

I found the following UID on NamUs:

https://identifyus.org/en/cases/7583

I have always felt that Shannon would be found in the Nevada desert, probably as skeletal remains. Otherwise, with all her tattoos I believe she would have been identified. The UID I found on NamUs has auburn hair, as does Shannon. Per NamUs, "Henderson Police Department received an anonymous letter containing maps that matched a location in the area (5 1/2 miles Northwest of US 93 and Boulder Highway). After conducting a search of the area, a skull was found. A few days later, a resident of the area discovered a jawbone in close proximity. Law enforcement was able to recover more remains along with various articles of clothing." Although the partial skeletal remains were found in 2008, I believe she had been there quite a while.

I feel like the facial features on the clay reconstruction are close enough to Shannon that I have called this in to both NamUs and the Clark County Coroner's office.

But in case this isn't a match, I wanted to make sure Shannon is on our missing persons list here on WS.
 
I have spotted the Jane Doe that you speak of and thought the same thing... Did they get back to you ?
They are both still listed and Shannon Turner has not been listed as an exclusion.
It would seem that the timing is a bit off as they are saying she was dead about 2 years... and found in 2008, but the clay reconstruction of this Doe, sure does have a resemblance.
 
Shannon Rayanne Turner – The Charley Project

Last updated August 18, 2021; five pictures and clothing/jewelry description added, distinguishing characteristics updated.

Shannon Rayanne Turner
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  • Clothing/Jewelry Description: Unknown, but she usually wore a t-shirt, jeans and black combat boots.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Red hair, brown eyes. Turner has a small scar between her eyes. She has the following tattoos: a butterfly on her right shoulder, a spiderweb with flowers on her left shoulder, a ribbon across her lower back, a pair of lips on her right buttock, a half-moon smoking a cigarette on her right thigh, the word "Rage" on one of her ankles and a dragonfly on one of her ankles. Turner used the stage names Tawny and/or Bubbles when dancing in 1997. Her ears are pierced and she may dye her hair other colors. She wears contact lenses.
 
Shannon Rayanne Turner – The Charley Project

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Turner, circa 1997; David Mays, circa 1997


Details of Disappearance
Turner was last seen on December 4, 1997 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was employed as an exotic dancer at Babe's Showgirls West on Lafayette Road and was last seen leaving the club after her shift ended in the early morning hours. Turner has never been heard from again.

Turner and her boyfriend, David Mays, an enforcer in the Outlaws motorcycle gang, became engaged prior to Thanksgiving 1997. Photographs of Mays is posted with this case summary.

Authorities learned that Turner and Mays had an appointment to apply for their marriage license during early December, but she decided to cancel the plans. According to Turner's family and friends, she was attempting to end their relationship entirely.

Turner said she would bring Mays to meet her family in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the Thanksgiving holiday, but she never showed up. She last spoke to her family on December 1 of that year, when she called her mother collect.

Turner's car was being repaired several days prior to her disappearance and Mays was picking her up from work as a result. Turner's landlord and a service worker saw Turner and her boyfriend together at her apartment on December 3, the day before she vanished.

Turner chained her dog outside in her backyard, as was her routine before she left for work. She apparently never returned home after her dance shift. The neighbors called the Humane Society three days later, when Turner's dog was still outside. The animal was taken to a shelter.

Turner's family became concerned about her when she failed to arrive for the Christmas holidays at relatives' homes in Wisconsin. She did occasionally embark on vacations with little notice, so family members assumed she would reappear shortly.

Turner was previously employed as an exotic dancer in Las Vegas, Nevada before relocating to Indiana. Her landlord called her relatives in January 1998 and said that she had not been inside her apartment since early December.

There was no sign of struggle or foul play inside Turner's apartment. Her family traveled to Indiana to remove her belongings and file a missing person's report with authorities six weeks after Turner was last seen.

In January, Turner's mother called the number her daughter had called from in December. A man named John Walker answered. He said he did not know Turner, but he knew Mays, who was house-sitting for him in December. Turner may have been staying with Mays in Walker's house at that time.

Mays was imprisoned for three years following Turner's disappearance on an unrelated charge. Authorities questioned him about her case, but he denied any involvement and refused to submit to a polygraph test.

In the spring of 2002, he was charged with several counts of federal racketeering which included Turner's murder. He was acquitted of all charges in 2004. However, authorities hope to refile the murder charge against Mays in state court.

Turner is a high school dropout. She has previously lived in San Antonio, Texas. She is described as an outgoing, independent woman who led a carefree life and preferred the biker subculture. Extensive searches have been conducted in the Indianapolis area for signs of Turner since 1998, but nothing has been located thus far. She remains missing.
 
Catch My Killer Podcast just released an episode about Shannon's Disappearance. Episode 130: Shannon Turner

Shannon Turner, a 33-year-old Wisconsin native relocated to Indianapolis in 1997. She was considered a kind and friendly free spirit who loved listening to blues bands at the Slippery Noodle Inn in downtown Indy. She loved grilling steaks, shooting...



Shannon Turner, a 33-year-old Wisconsin native relocated to Indianapolis in 1997. She was considered a kind and friendly free spirit who loved listening to blues bands at the Slippery Noodle Inn in downtown Indy. She loved grilling steaks, shooting pool and drinking beers with family.


She rented a home on the 300 block of Hamilton Avenue. She had a dog, friends and dated a man named David Mays who was an enforcer for the Outlaws motorcycle club. Shannon was a dancer at club called Babes. She was last seen on the evening of December 4, 1997 after finishing her shift. She was waiting on a ride from her boyfriend David Mays. She has never been seen again.


Her family became concerned when she didn’t show up in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. Her brother Gregg Turner said his sister would have never missed a family event or not called. A couple of weeks later, Shannon’s landlord called her family back in Wisconsin and informed them Shannon hasn’t been seen in weeks. The landlord also told the family Shannon’s dog had been left outside unattended for days.


The family knew something was wrong. Turner’s sister filed a missing persons report. Flyers were posted on light posts around town as detectives launched an investigation. Gregg and his family members left Wisconsin and traveled to Indianapolis to remove Shannon’s belongings and search for any clues leading to finding Shannon.


Since Shannon’s disappearance, her brother Gregg has refused to stop trying to get justice for his sister. He said, “I’m not going to walk away. My sister is not just going to be some freebie, you don’t get to kill her and throw her away like trash.”


For this story, I spoke to Shannon’s brother Gregg Turner who shared the highs and lows of his sister’s case and his frustration with Indy PD to prosecute David Mays and his acquaintance Danny Garland of being involved in Shannon’s disappearance.


If you have any information about this case, please contact Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS (8477). And if you would like additional information about this case, please visit The Search for Shannon Turner Facebook page.


Note** Opening video provided by WISH TV8 (https://www.wishtv.com)


Please also visit my website for more information about my true crime and paranormal newspaper columns at www.themarcabe.com. You can also help support my podcast by purchasing a cup of $5 coffee every month. To help support the podcast, please visit catchmykiller is Podcast created to help families get justice for murdered loved ones. If you would like to contact me about this podcast, please visit my websites www.catchmykiller.com or www.themarcabe.com where you can submit a case.
 
This is definitely a case that deserves more attention.

Considering that the boyfriend, David Mays, was due to pick her up the night that she disappeared (and most nights for the then-foreseeable future), and hadn't the slightest bit of concern in attempting to locate her or contact authorities, is damning imo.

Due to possible Outlaws MC involvement, I think it likely that we may never find Turner unfortunately.
 
This case is not complicated except in terms of the actions (or lack of action in some cases) of LE. A pretty full explanation of what happened can be found at https://www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/08a0455n-06.pdf which is the transcript of the 2008 appeal of Danny Garland from his RICO conviction. Pages 14-19 give a narrative of the events around the murder of Shannon. Most damning is the statement of Margo Harter, another partner of David Mays, on page 19 that 'Mays told her that he had to kill Turner because she knew too much'.
 

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