'NO ANSWERS' AS SEARCH FOR MISSING GRANGEVILLE WOMAN ENTERS SECOND WEEK
GRANGEVILLE, Idaho -- The days after 25-year-old Shawnta LaRae Pankey disappeared have been busy ones for the Idaho County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies pinged the Grangeville woman's cell phone, reviewed video, interviewed family members, and searched the Salmon River and surrounding area, enlisting the help of other agencies and local residents.
But the search has come up empty.
"She just disappeared," Sheriff Doug Giddings said.
Pankey's boyfriend told investigators she had been at the Pine Bar, and was last seen walking near the bar along the Salmon River at about 10 a.m. Sunday, April 15. She has not been spotted since and has not contacted her family, something her mother told authorities is completely out of character, Giddings said.
The lack of evidence in the case makes it difficult to rule out any possibility, the sheriff said: Pankey could have fallen into the swift-moving river, climbed up the mountain, left the state intentionally, or been a victim of foul play.
"From that moment that she disappeared, we have no clue," Giddings said. "Why would she just walk away, why would she just disappear? We have no answers."
Even the leads that are trickling into the sheriff's office are a little thin. Sightings of Pankey have been reported from as far away as Seattle, but none have borne out, the sheriff said.
The latest tip came from a local resident, who reported seeing a man camping near the Pine Bar that weekend. On Monday, the man was gone, the resident told authorities.
The man had a dog with him, as well as a green pickup truck with a camper on the back and Utah plates, according to the sheriff's office.
Giddings said the man is not being considered a suspect, and it's not clear he ever interacted with the missing woman. Investigators hope to speak to him in case he saw Pankey or has any information that could aid in the search.
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