Barrie police hope for new leads with the launch of Autumn Shaganash billboards

In a first for the Barrie Police Service, investigators are launching nine new electronic and mobile billboards across the city in an attempt to gain information into the whereabouts of Autumn Shaganash.

Five Barrie Transit buses and four electronic billboards will carry a message this month that includes a $50,000 reward for information on her current whereabouts, as announced by Barrie Police on February 8.

Shaganash was reported missing to Barrie Police on June 12, 2023, and was last seen leaving a family member's home on June 9 near Burton Avenue and Franks Way at 11 p.m.

The following day, police say the Indigenous woman texted her sister between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. asking to be picked up, but her phone went straight to voicemail and appeared to be off when her sister called back just three minutes later.

At around 10 a.m., Shaganash was with a male friend near Sunnidale Park, where it was believed she was going to the Barrie Waterfront to watch an air show. That's when she vanished, according to officers.

At the same time, a walk for ALS was taking place in the park.

Police hope the advertisements will generate new tips that will help to bring her home to her family.

Shaganash's sister, Lili Moore, was in attendance Tuesday during the announcement but declined to speak with media.

"It's been almost eight months since we last saw her, and every day has been difficult," Moore said on February 8 during the announcement of a $50,000 award.

Police are asking anyone with information about her disappearance to contact the Barrie Police Service Major Crime Unit.

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Ontario Provincial Police launched a similar initiative with the high-profile investigation into the disappearance of Elnaz Hajtamiri, who was allegedly abducted in Wasaga Beach in January 2022. That case remains unsolved.